Indiana fans are clamoring to get to Miami for the College Football Playoff Championship where the Indiana Hoosiers will face the Miami Hurricanes, and airlines have added several round-trip flights from Indianapolis.
On Monday, Delta Airlines joined three other carriers — Frontier Airlines, Southwest Airlines and American Airlines — to add pairs of last-minute nonstop flights from Indianapolis to Miami before and after the January 19 game at Hard Rock Stadium.
The additions double fans’ flight options, with varying times and amenities, but the extra competition isn’t lowering prices. The lowest round-trip flight ticket was selling for around $968 as of Monday afternoon for a Saturday to Tuesday trip on Frontier Airlines, according to Google Flights data.
Delta adds two nonstop options
Delta Airlines added a pair of round-trip flights between Indianapolis International Airport and Miami International Airport, the airline said on Jan. 12. Delta does not typically fly nonstop between Indianapolis and Miami, but the carrier added two nonstop flights for the coming weekend:
- A nonstop flight departing Indianapolis Saturday, Jan. 17 at 10:55 a.m. and a nonstop flight departing Indianapolis Sunday, Jan. 18 at 9:55 a.m.
- Two nonstop flights departing Miami Tuesday, Jan. 20, one at 1:20 p.m. the other at 3:40 p.m.
Find flights on Delta here.
Southwest adds Indy-Miami flights
Southwest Airlines added 32 flights to the Miami and Fort Lauderdale airports to accommodate additional demand to the Miami area, a Southwest spokesperson said. This gives IU fans as many as seven nonstop options a day on Southwest, up from its typical once daily flight offered to South Florida.
Find flights on Southwest here.
Frontier adds Indy to Miami flights
Frontier Airlines expanded its fleet to the Indianapolis-Miami route for this coming weekend with a specialty flight to Miami on Saturday and Sunday, and two flights on Tuesday flying from Miami to Indianapolis.
Find flights on Frontier here.
American adds extra flights to Miami
American Airlines added additional flights on Jan. 17 and Jan. 18 from Indianapolis to Miami as well as extra flights from Miami to Indianapolis on Jan. 20 to help get fans to and from the game, according to a news release from the company.
Find flights on American here.
Spirit, Allegiant fly to Miami
Budget carriers Spirit Airlines and Allegiant Air each regularly fly nonstop on select days from Indianapolis to the Miami area. Both airlines currently have seats available on flights this coming weekend for more than $1,000.
Find Spirit flights here and Allegiant flights here.
How Indianapolis airport adds specialty flights
In recent years, the Indianapolis International Airport has attracted specialty flights, or one-time flights, to supply demand for marquee sporting events and tourism draws such as the NBA All-Star Game. To do so, the airport keeps in close contact with the big airline companies and studies when demand could peak on a specific route.
The airlines’ strategy to get IU fans on planes to Miami mirrors efforts last year to add several hundred seats on routes from Indianapolis to Atlanta when Notre Dame played for the national title.
When is the College Football Playoff national championship game?
The College Football Playoff national championship game is 7:30 p.m. ET Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida.
Alysa Guffey writes business, health and development stories for IndyStar. Have a story tip? Contact her at amguffey@usatodayco.com or on X: @AlysaGuffeyNews.
