‘Our football era’: Airlines lean into Swift, Chiefs, 49ers fandom for Super Bowl flights

The Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers are headed to the Super Bowl in Las Vegas, and the big three airlines – American, Delta and United – are ready for it.

American and United, in particular, are embracing the teams’ and Taylor Swift’s fans with special, nonstop service for the big game. Swift is dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

“You could say that after (Sunday’s) games, we are in our football era, and we are thrilled to provide direct flights from Kansas City to Las Vegas,” American Airlines said in a statement shared with USA TODAY. “To our customers who are huge sports fans, look what you made us do.”

Neither American nor United typically fly direct between Kansas City and Las Vegas, but for Super Bowl weekend, American will offer:

• Flight AA 1989, a nod to Swift’s hit album (also the year Swift and Kelce were born)

• Flight AA 87, Travis Kelce’s jersey number

• Flight AA 15, quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ jersey number

• Flight AA 1521, Mahomes' and safety Mike Edwards’ jersey numbers

United will offer:

• Flight UA 1989, another nod to Swift’s album

• Flight UA 2287, in honor of Swift’s hit song ‘22’ and Kelce’s jersey number

• Flight UA 1587, Mahomes' and Kelce’s jersey numbers

Delta will also offer special, nonstop flights between Kansas City International Airport and Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International Airport.

For 49ers fans coming from San Francisco International Airport, American will offer:

• Flight AA 85, tight end George Kittle’s jersey number

• Flight AA 262 for quarterback Brock Purdy, the 262nd pick in the NFL draft

United will offer:

• Flight UA 1995 for the last year the 49ers won the Super Bowl

• Flight UA 1849, in honor of the San Francisco Gold Rush

Unlike United, American doesn’t usually fly nonstop between San Francisco International and Harry Reid International Airport. Neither does Delta, which is also introducing special direct service for the big game. United will temporarily expand its existing service.

Additionally, Delta and United will offer direct flights between San Jose Mineta International Airport and Las Vegas, which they normally don’t. Delta will also expand existing service between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and Vegas for the Super Bowl.

It is fairly common for airlines to offer additional service around major events.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Super Bowl flights to Las Vegas get a Taylor Swift twist