> News >  

      Airlines Go Nose-to-Nose in Run-Up to Super Bowl

      February 3, 2017  | Written by Ari Magnusson
      Author Photo

      Share

      Super Bowl IFE
      Image: Marcelo Cáceres

      APEX Insight: In anticipation of the 51st Super Bowl this Sunday, several US carriers have made last-minute additions to their flight schedules so that eager football fans can see the New England Patriots go head-to-head with the Atlanta Falcons in Houston. For fans who will be up in the air on Sunday evening, thirteen airlines will be broadcasting the game live on their Panasonic Avionics eX1-equipped aircraft via IMG’s Sport 24.

      The New England Patriots will go head-to-head with the Atlanta Falcons at Houston’s NRG Stadium on Sunday as they vie to take home the Vince Lombardi trophy. Off the field, airlines are competing in an equally fierce battle to woo NFL fans ahead of the big game. In the weeks running up to the Super Bowl, several US carriers have made last-minute additions to their flight schedules to help eager football fans get from New England and Atlanta to Houston.

      JetBlue, the official airline of the New England Patriots, announced two weeks before the event that it was adding an extra round-trip service from and to Boston and a one-off round-trip service from Providence, Rhode Island, to Houston. Passengers wearing a Patriots jersey will also be treated to priority boarding and an alcoholic beverage for $1. Since January 24, the New York-based carrier has also been running a sweepstakes in partnership with the New England Patriots.

      Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines is also ramping up its Super Bowl weekend services, adding half a dozen extra flights from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport to help eager Falcons fans hop over to Houston for the weekend. In addition, the airline has added four special one-off nonstop services from New England airports including Boston-Logan, Hartford and Providence. Delta is also transporting both teams to Houston for Sunday’s showdown, having carried the AFC Champion, the New England Patriots, and the NFC Champion, the Atlanta Falcons, all season long as charter customers.

      Football fans flying on Panasonic Avionics eX1-equipped aircraft on Sunday evening can watch the NFL’s 51st Super Bowl live via IMG’s Sport 24 before they touch down at their destination. Thirteen airlines, including Virgin Atlantic, Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines, offer the live sports channel as part of their in-flight entertainment. “We are excited to offer the American football experience with Super Bowl to our passengers at thousands of feet of elevation,” said Turkish Airlines’ chief marketing officer, Ahmet Olmustur. The airline will debut its new commercial during the mile-high broadcast.