ATLANTA — Do you think the Georgia Bulldogs have a good chance of making the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship? Delta Airlines thinks so.
As of November 7, the Atlanta-based airline has already raised flights prices by several hundred dollars for the cheapest seats from Atlanta to Houston over the first weekend in January.
For a round trip ticket into Bush Intercontinental, arriving on Saturday, January 6 and departing on Tuesday, January 9, the cheapest price you'll find is $888. The same goes for Houston Hobby Airport, although that cheapest price is on the latest flight.
If you want something a little nicer for the approximately two hour flight, first class round-trip tickets are available for $2000 across the board.
Delta is not offering their basic economy option on any round-trip ticket between Atlanta and Houston between January 6 and January 9.
How does this stack up against "normal prices?"
We checked the weekend of January 20, 2024 for a Saturday to Tuesday trip, and found that the cheapest round trip ticket on Delta was $158, at both Bush and Hobby airports.
That means it will cost you 462% more to fly to Houston for the National Championship when compared to just two weeks later on Delta Airlines.
Southwest Airlines has not followed suit as of November 7, with the cheapest round-trip coming in at just over $200. American Airlines will run you about about $440, up from $172 just two weeks later.
Meanwhile, the cheapest ticket on United Airlines is still $183 for the January 6-9 dates. That's on par with dates just two weeks later.
The four teams advancing to the College Football Playoff will be announced on December 3, the day after conference championships. From there, the winners of the Sugar Bowl and Rose Bowl will advance to the College Football Playoff National Championship on January 8.