Super Bowl trip carries hefty price tag
While some Steelers fans will be content to watch their beloved black and gold in Super Bowl XL from the comfort of their living rooms, others are Detroit-bound to cheer the Steelers on to victory in person. But it won’t be cheap.
Jim Lehman, senior vice president with AAA East Central, said Wednesday that Super Bowl packages offered by the association are nearly sold out, as are most hotel rooms within an hour of the Motor City.
“As of Wednesday morning, we had one or two rooms left, but we’re nearly filled at this point,” he said.
Prices for the AAA package, which include a two- or three-night hotel stay, an upper level ticket to the game, and roundtrip travel by motorcoach, ranged between $3,000 and $4,000 per person earlier in the week, but the cost is now approaching $4,500, he said.
He said approximately 200 spaces were available, but demand for the seats became great in the waning minutes of Sunday’s AFC Championship game and has not subsided since.
Melanie Rice, manager of Travel Horizons in Uniontown, said she’s fielded calls from people inquiring about Super Bowl travel packages.
“Once they hear the rate, they aren’t interested anymore,” she said.
Rice said the package the company is offering costs between $3,500 and $3,800 per person. She said game tickets are selling for as much as $2,100 each, and will likely go higher as Feb. 5 grows nearer.
Seats are filling up on Northwest Airlines flights, which depart twice daily to Detroit from the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Latrobe.
Dwayne Pickels, administrative assistant for the Westmoreland County Airport Authority, said as of Wednesday tickets could still be purchased for flights Super Bowl weekend.
A flight leaving Latrobe Friday, Feb. 2, and returning from Detroit Monday, Feb. 6, had a fare of $485 Wednesday, but he noted that rates often fluctuate. A check of the Northwest Web site had a similar itinerary from Pittsburgh International Airport costing passengers $658.
Northwest has been flying out of the regional airport since April, he said.
“It’s such great timing. Everyone is excited about the Steelers being in the Super Bowl in Detroit, where we just happen to connect to a hub,” Pickels said.
Lehman offered two pieces of advice for people seeking to travel to Detroit for the big game.
“If you haven’t registered with us, call us and get on the list because we may have cancellations and we keep people on a waitlist,” he said. “And if you want to hop in your car and drive, you may want to think about making a same-day trip because there aren’t many places to stay.”
He said people looking for hotel rooms might consider searching for places 90 minutes away from Detroit or farther, or traveling beyond the city and looking for rooms on the other side of Detroit.
Many people, he said, are considering making a trek by car next Friday or Saturday to take part in some of the other Super Bowl-related activities, such as the NFL Experience, but will travel back to southwestern Pennsylvania in time to watch the game.
“If you’re in Detroit anytime in the next two weeks, you certainly won’t be the only Steelers’ fans there,” Lehman said.
For more information about the AAA Super Bowl packages, call 1-800-354-8761.
For more information about Northwest Airlines, visit www.nwa.com