Watch for fare sales
There’s no point in even thinking about airline tickets until a sale comes up. Usually Southwest is the one doing the sale and that can be great for short range flights. The other airlines will match the sale. But be warned, the sale will only be on routes that the first carrier has on sale. Virgin had a sale earlier this year. Prices on flights to Houston, where they fly, dropped dramatically but flights to Dallas, where they don’t fly, didn’t.
Where to start
The legacy airlines (United, American, Delta) fly most of their flights into and out of hubs. The newer airlines (Southwest, Jet Blue) tend to fly shorter routes. Starting your trip in a hub has three benefits. 1) It’s usually cheaper 2) You fly non-stop 3) Flying non-stop means you’ll arrive earlier.
A long flight that changes planes might mean you won’t arrive in time to see a game your first day. Thus, you waste a day and pay for an extra night hotel. If you’re flying from the west coast, as I do, you’ll likely arrive in the afternoon. So the first game should be one at night. I flew into Chicago, arriving about an hour or so before a day game at Wrigley Field. I might’ve made that, but instead chose to drive to Milwaukee and see a game there. I had plenty of time to spare.
This means it might be a good idea to start with a game closer to you, in between you and the next game you want to go to. I’m looking at an East coast trip next season. I’d like to start in Pittsburgh, but that might be difficult. There are limited non-stops to Pittsburgh, meaning that flying there from LA could mean arriving close to game time, if not during a game.
It may make more sense to start with a game in Denver. Since that’s a hub, I should be able to get a non-stop there from LA and then to Pittsburgh. That’d also be a shorter flight, making it easier to find one that’ll get me there with plenty of time to spare.
Where to go next
It’s possible to do several trips with a minimum number of flights. I was able to fly to drive several of the games in the Midwest and I plan to do the same thing with the train on the east coast next year. This saves money for flights and time spent at the airport and on airplanes. In many cases you have to rent a car any way. So why not use it to get the next city if you can? And who really wants to spend all their time on planes anyway?
Where to stay
In some cities it makes sense to stay close to the airport. I did that in Chicago, as I was coming and going from the airport and they had strong public transportation. I didn't need a car here. I was planning that for Dallas, since the stadium is close to the airport. I was set to arrive two hours before the game. My hotel was between the airport and stadium. So they had a shuttle to the airport and one to the stadium. Since I was planning on leaving early the next morning, I didn't need to worry about staying close to the city of Dallas.
I stayed in suburban Cleveland. I suppose that meant that we didn't experience the nightlife in Cleveland, but we certainly could've done that because we had a car. We were so tired after driving for nearly 3 hours that dinner and a Jacuzzi were the most attractive choices.
When to end your trip
End it on Sunday or with a day game. That way you can fly home after the game. Any night game is going end so late that there will be no flights for you to take. Ending with a night games means staying overnight and paying for a hotel room when you could be sleeping at home. My friend Brendan did this by ending his part of the trip with a Cleveland day game on Labor Day.
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