I’m surprised that they didn’t fly right into GNV. Also, when most teams play Maryland they fly into BWI, not IAD. Fresno State flew into Memphis, not Tupelo. Carbondale’s airport (MDH) can handle a 737 and A320, but maybe not a fully loaded one. I couldn’t find Georgia at Auburn, I checked BHM, ATL, and AHN. The people in Eugene are lucky, they sometimes get two college football charters a day! I
I know the guys at Flightstar (the FBO at Champaign) and they were told that the plane would fly into Mattoon. When I looked at Mattoon and all surrounding airports on Friday, I couldn’t find the flight. There’s no way that bussed that far though, so I’m not sure what to tell you. Here’s some video I took of their flight home. Unfortunately my video of the landing in Champaign came out blurry, so I didn’t post it. Enjoy!
I’ll bet they flew commercial to the game. Since they have more time on the front end, some lower budget teams will do this then get the charter for the return to get home quick. Yep, too far to bus so they had to fly.
That sounds logical, but I know that MTO can handle a 737 because a Miami Air 737 flew into there. They just can’t fly outta there loaded with passengers because of the weight.
Hmmmm. WN has no direct service between BHM and IND. Just out of curiosity, I looked it up, and all their available fares between BHM and IND involve changing planes somewhere else along the way. Possible, but it seems like the logistics of connecting that many people and their equipment would be a pain.
OTOH, I bet they took SWA2718 direct from BHM to STL. It’s only a little farther to Charleston than IND.
I lived in Central Illinois myself once, so that area is very familiar to me!