If you’re planning on making the trip to see the Kansas City Chiefs play in Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas on Feb. 11, be prepared to spend some cash.
But the experience and vibes may be worth it, local travel agents say.
While it may be out of most of our price ranges to get tickets to the actual game — which is trending to be the most expensive Super Bowl ever with tickets right now averaging about $10,000 apiece — some Chiefs fans in Johnson County are still starting to make travel plans to Sin City so they can at least enjoy the atmosphere.
Having seen the Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers in Miami in Super Bowl LIV in 2020, Kim Cook, owner of travel agency Love To Travel in Overland Park, already has her flight booked for the rematch and is waiting to see if game ticket prices fall enough for her to be able to buy them.
“Historically, the price goes way down,” she said. “Even last year, the price went way down right before the game.”
Demand for flights is high in Kansas City
Beyond tickets, there’s the issue of getting a flight from Kansas City to Las Vegas.
In anticipation of the influx of flights, several airlines, including American and Southwest Airlines, announced extra direct flights from Kansas City to Las Vegas between Feb. 8-12.
In addition, American Airlines and United Airlines also created specialty non-stop flights with flight numbers like 87 (a nod to Travis Kelce’s number) and 1989 (a reference to Taylor Swift’s birth year and the title of one of her albums).
Jeff Bollig, media director for Acendas Travel in Overland Park, said despite more flights being added, prepare to still spend a lot on them.
“Be prepared to write a big check or a big credit card bill,” he said. “We’re seeing flights that are $1,300 round-trip.”
The waiting game for flights can pay off
A search by the Johnson County Post on Tuesday for non-stop flights from Kansas City International Airport (MCI) to Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) showed these approximate prices for round-trip flights from Feb. 9-12:
- Southwest Airlines cost almost $1,800.
- United Airlines cost about $1,300.
- Delta Airlines cost around $1,200.
- American Airlines cost about $1,000.
- Spirit Airlines cost about $700.
Cook, the owner of Love to Travel, said being patient could mean extra savings on flights, especially if other people are doing the same thing.
“(Prices) tends to go down when they’re not filling it up,” she said. “Paying $1,600 round trip is kind of crazy. So some people may wait and say, ‘Well, I’m not going to pay that, but let’s see what it looks like in a week.'”
You may have to stay outside Las Vegas
This week, after the matchup was set for Super Bowl LVIII, Airbnb said searches for places to stay in Las Vegas rose 65%.
A search on Airbnb by the Johnson County Post on Tuesday found per-night prices for lodging ranged from $215 to more than $10,000.
Hotels will also be costly, if you can find a vacancy in the Las Vegas area.
Fox5 KVVU-TV in Las Vegas reported that many hotels near Allegiant Stadium near the Las Vegas Strip are already sold out for the weekend of Feb. 9-12 but found better luck with hotels in neighboring cities like Henderson, Nevada.
Still, having been to Super Bowl LIV in Miami, Cook said if you have money to spend on hotels within walking distance of the stadium, it’s worth the investment.
“We learned this from going in 2020, especially in Vegas — stay close to the stadium, so that you can walk because getting out of there is an absolute nightmare,” she said.
Go for the atmosphere
Because this is the first Super Bowl in Las Vegas (as well as the possibility that Taylor Swift may be in attendance to watch her boyfriend Kelce), Cook said there’s a chance game ticket prices will remain high.
She said people should prepare to take in the vibes of a Super Bowl weekend somewhere else in the city.
“I’ve already talked to some friends that are planning to go to Vegas and just hang out,” she said.”There’s all kinds of parties going on, watch parties, all these different events in Vegas. It’s going to be a fun weekend.”
