Delta adds bigger aircraft to fly more Detroit Lions fans to NFC championship game
Delta Air Lines is bringing in the "big guns" − meaning, a bigger aircraft − to ferry the crush of Detroit Lions headed to California for Sunday's NFC championship game against the San Francisco 49ers.
Delta is also adding another flight to bring them back from San Francisco to Detroit Metro Airport on Monday morning.
A Delta spokesperson said in an email that Saturday's Delta flight to San Francisco would be an Airbus 321, which has seating for 191 passengers, instead of the usual Airbus 319, which can accommodate 132 passengers.
Saturday's flight leaves Detroit Metro at 8:53 a.m. local time and arrives in San Francisco at 11:30 a.m. local time.
The new return flight on Monday leaves San Francisco at 9:30 a.m. and gets into Detroit Metro Airport at 5 p.m., both local times.
"This is all based on the booking trends and demand we’ve seen, but of course is something we always continue to evaluate," the Delta spokesperson said in an email to the Free Press.
More: Excited Lions fans lighting up homes, landmarks Honolulu blue
The Lions (14-5 regular season and playoffs) and 49ers (13-5) kick off at 6:30 p.m. Fox will televise the game.
If the Lions win Sunday, they head to Super Bowl LVIII on Feb. 11 in Las Vegas. The Lions are the only NFC team that has never made it to the Super Bowl.
The 49ers last played in the Super Bowl in the 2019 season.
Contact Jennifer Dixon: jbdixon@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Delta adds bigger aircraft, flight for traveling Lions fans
