AUSTIN (KXAN) — It’s a great day to be a Texas Longhorn: The University of Texas at Austin will head to the College Football Playoff Semifinals in New Orleans to face off against the Washington Huskies on January 1.
There’s no doubt UT fans will be in the crowd. But how much could it end up costing?
Plane ticket costs
Katy Nastro is a travel expert with Going.com, a travel deal-finding service.
“It is a free service, but we also have paid service for, if you want first class deals, business class deals, premium, or just international deals,” Nastro said. “We exist so we can send you great deals at all times of the year.”
Nastro said because the game is on New Years Day, it’s during a peak travel time.
“When you’re looking at going from Austin over to New Orleans, typically we see deals out about $150 and below,” Nastro said. “We are seeing nearly three times that amount. So somewhere in the $300 to $400 range of current ticket prices.”
She recommended getting a plane ticket as soon as possible because prices will continue to go up.
“If you’re a diehard fan that is definitely considering going to this game, you definitely do not want to wait to book these tickets,” Nastro said. “Book within the next week or so, in the next few days.”
Nastro also suggested one-way flights with different carriers if that ends up being cheaper that a round-trip.
“Maybe it is cheaper to fly out on Southwest but then coming back cheaper to fly on American,” Nastro said. “So you’re kind of creating your own round trip. You’re getting to the same place and back from the same place, you’re just flying on different carriers.”
Game ticket costs
When it comes to tickets for the game, it’ll cost a pretty penny to get them.
As of Sunday evening, Ticketmaster’s website had them running between $547 to $2,000. Websites like SeatGeek had tickets listed a bit cheaper starting at $447. Prices tend to fluctuate, so those numbers could change.
According to UT, season ticket holders can request tickers for the Sugar Bowl by logging into their account.
But, the university said there’s no guarantee a person will get any. If they do, a notice will be sent to them. UT also said that it received a limited amount of student tickets.
UT students who are Big Ticket Holders will receive additional information via email on Sunday regarding the student ticket process, the university said.
‘A lot of pride’
Fans like UT senior Joshua Johnson have been on cloud nine since the announcement.
“I went all crazy. I lowkey jumped out of bed, ran around a little bit,” Johnson said. “A lot of pride, a lot of joy.”
Johnson said he wants nothing more than to be in the crowd for this game.
“It would be nice to go. If I can figure out a way to go,” Johnson said. “I would definitely go.”
But even if he isn’t able to make it to the game, Johnson said he’ll definitely be watching and hoping for a Longhorn’s win.
He said it would be the perfect way to end his senior year.
“They’re finna go there and represent us, represent me,” Johnson said. “I’m really happy for them, happy for the school. Happy I get to experience it.”
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