Super Bowl Sunday is near, and Super Bowl fans are flocking from all over the country to see it. The real-world constraints of limited hotel rooms and airline routes have made this a soaring demand for travel, which has caused a scramble for availability that has sent prices through the roof.
According to Hopper, a travel platform that allows you to book your flights to Phoenix, round-trip airfare is on average $375. Hotels, however, cost an average $575 per night. A traveler who wants to take a weekend trip for three days could spend $2,100 on their travel necessities.
These expenses will add to the $22 per ticket for the February 12th game. According to Vivid Seats (a ticket sales company), the median ticket cost was $8,100 on Jan. 31. This might seem like a lot but $8,100 would buy only 35 seconds of televised advertising time at a reported rate $7 million per thirty seconds.
Flights
Hopper estimates that tickets will cost $500. However, prices won’t be equally distributed during the week. People who arrive in Phoenix on Thursday February 9th and depart on Monday February 13th will pay the highest, but those who fly in the last-minute on Saturday and leave Tuesday may pay less.
(Image by Hopper)
Peak dates may not be available as planes fill up. Anyone still waiting to buy tickets should act quickly and look into flying on off-peak days.
What can we learn from airfare trends about the relative fanfare of the Eagles and Chiefs fandoms. Hopper reports that flight searches from Phoenix to Philadelphia jumped by 169% after Eagles secured their berth. However, searches from Kansas City and Phoenix increased only by 61 span>
Hotels and Vacation Rentals
According to AirDNA, a platform that tracks vacation rental data, prices for vacation rentals like Vrbo and Airbnb are rising at an unpredicted rate. The average daily rate is 83% higher each year. This amounts to a $340 daily markup on the average cost of renting a house.
The average cost of renting a home in 2023 is $2,302, compared to $1,400 last year. However, prices quickly adjust back to the baseline in the days preceding and after the event.
These high rates are being taken advantage of by vacation rental hosts, who have added more than 400 listings in Glendale, Arizona since December 2022 according to AirDNA.
What does this all mean for travelers? Because the supply of units is not as flexible, vacation rental prices may not go up as much as other travel expenses. New hotel rooms cannot be added in the last minute, so prices may go up.
Hopper estimates that Phoenix hotel rooms will cost $575 per night during the Super Bowl weekend. This might seem lower than the $700 per night rate for vacation rentals. However, some vacation rentals can house more people than a hotel room.
When will the prices drop?
Similar to Thanksgiving weekend, prices rise due to high demand and limited supply. Prices should drop by the next weekend. If they were to book their trip during the most important sporting event of the year, “normal” Phoenix visitors shouldn’t be concerned.
You could also drive if you fail to do so. You should make sure that it isn’t a rental car — they can be very expensive on weekends.
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