Travel Ads to Watch for During Super Bowl LVIII

Good morning from Skift. It’s Tuesday, February 27. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel.

Hotel guests in Las Vegas during Super Bowl 2024 paid the highest room rates in continental U.S. history, according to an analysis by CoStar’s STR.

The natural world continues to inspire travel writers. Standout books for the year ahead include a collection of stories, illustrations and poems that explore our connection with nature, plus a travelogue inspiring us to discover the small green spaces on our doorstep. Walking remains a popular topic for authors, as evidenced by a pair of upcoming travelogues that hit the trail in rural Spain and Istanbul, respectively, plus a collection of literary works that asks the question: why explore on foot? And to celebrate Bradt Travel Guides reaching its 50th anniversary this year, founder Hilary Bradt is set to release a memoir about her pioneering journeys both in print and around the lesser-explored corners of the planet.

So you want to go to the Super Bowl this weekend. Even for non-football fans, this year’s spectacle of professional sports and over-the-top entertainment — in Las Vegas, no less — could be hard to resist.

This past weekend’s Super Bowl LVIII was a star-studded event which attracted guests from around the world with as many as 1000 private jets arriving in Las Vegas. From Beyoncé to Lady Gaga to Justin Bieber, everyone wanted to see the Chiefs play the 49ers, and, of course, witness Usher’s mesmerizing halftime performance. People planning to attend huge sports and social events like the Super Bowl via private plane can face a unique, high net-worth problem — no inventory left unless you’ve booked far in advance. That’s where Wheels Up’s new partnership with Delta offers its members an alternative; flying commercial in first class with additional exclusive perks. Alternatively, members who fly commercial most of the time may charter a private plane for short and medium range flights to smaller airports or for a special occasion. The partnership offers flexibility and ensures that members won’t have to miss out on popular sports and social events with several options to choose from.

The Super Bowl helped MGM Resorts post three of the top five days in revenue it has ever recorded at hotels on the Las Vegas Strip, executives said Tuesday.

Alaska Airlines is expanding flight service from its hub at Portland International Airport (PDX).On Monday, the Seattle-based carrier announced plans to add more than 20 daily departures to popular destinations starting this summer. Alaska, which is in the midst of a potential merger with Hawaiian Airlines, said its capacity has increased by 25 percent.Alaska plans to increase service from PDX to a handful of cities, including Las Vegas, Reno, Sacramento and Ontario, California beginning August 20. Starting October 1, the airline will increase service from PDX to Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, Phoenix, Fresno and Medford, Oregon.The carrier will also add a second daily roundtrip flight between Portland and Redmond/Bend on October 1 and has extended nonstop seasonal flying from PDX to Billings, Kansas City and Minneapolis until the end of the year.Alaska currently serves 53 nonstop destinations from Portland, recently launching nonstop service to Miami. Meanwhile, year-round flights to Nashville start on March 14. By summer, the airline will have more than 100 average daily departures from Portland."We've been the largest carrier in Portland for more than 20 years. We don't take that for granted. It's important for us to provide our guests with a variety of convenient flight options at PDX along with the addition of new routes. We know travelers have a choice and we want them to fly with us," Kirsten Amrine, vice president of revenue management and network planning for Alaska Airlines, said in a statement."We're thrilled about the added flights out of PDX," added Dan Pippenger, chief aviation officer at the Port of Portland. "As our largest carrier, more Alaska flights means even more options for travelers, whether they're flying cross-country or within the state. And the increase in service means more visitors for our concession and ground travel partners – the local businesses that are the heart of our region and bring so much excitement to our airport."Contact your travel advisor or visit AlaskaAir.com to book the airline's expanded service from PDX.

This is how powerful Taylor Swift is. She has bumped the blown door on the Alaska Airlines flight right off the front pages of the newspapers and the lead story on the news TV stations as well.

Southwest Airlines is putting spring flights on sale in celebration of Valentine's Day this February.

With Super Bowl LVIII in the books, the countdown has started for travelers to book their trip to New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX in 2025.The Big Easy is one of the most prolific Super Bowl hosts ever as it will tie Miami with 11 games hosted next year. Meanwhile, the Caesars Superdome will host its record eighth Super Bowl on February 9, 2025.New Orleans last hosted the Big Game in 2013. According to New Orleans & Company, Super Bowl XLVII's showdown between the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers brought an estimated $480 million in economic impact to the city, the state of Louisiana and surrounding areas. In 2025, the city anticipates that number to be well over $500 million.The influx of visitors for the championship matchup is expected to provide a jolt to small businesses across the city and region, benefitting hotels, restaurants, cultural attractions, bars, venues, shops and transportation providers, among other businesses.Airlines are already gearing up for next year's Super Bowl, with United Airlines running a special Big Game marketing campaign encouraging travelers to book their flight to New Orleans right away to take advantage of its popular no-change fee policy.

While each Super Bowl is unique, some things never change. And in this case, it means that the Kansas City Chiefs are again Super Bowl champions and quarterback Patrick Mahomes is again going to Disneyland.

Last June, a segment on FOX 5 Vegas calling for Super Bowl LVIII volunteers caught my attention.