College Football Weekend Travel Policies
College football weekends are some of the busiest travel periods of the year for regional airports, and conditions can change quickly. Airport closures, ATC restrictions, parking limitations, fuel availability, and special game-day procedures can all affect a trip with little notice. We love getting our passengers to the game, but football weekends require a little extra flexibility from everyone involved.
1. SAME-DAY GAME TRAVEL
We will always make every reasonable effort to operate your trip according to schedule, but arrival and departure times cannot be guaranteed on football weekends. If you have tickets, reservations, or other plans that would be costly or upsetting to miss, we highly recommend arriving at least one day in advance.
Passengers choosing same-day travel should be prepared for the possibility of delays, airport changes, or other adjustments to the original itinerary.
2. AIRPORT CLOSURES & RESTRICTIONS
Airports may temporarily close, stop accepting traffic, reach parking capacity, restrict certain aircraft, or impose special game-weekend procedures with little notice.
If your scheduled airport becomes unavailable, we’ll let you know what alternate airports we can safely and legally serve. From there, you choose the option that works best for you, and we’ll take care of the flying.
3. ALTERNATE AIRPORTS & GROUND TRANSPORTATION
If an alternate airport becomes necessary, passengers are responsible for determining whether that airport works for their plans and arranging any rental cars, rideshares, private transportation, hotels, or other accommodations they may need.
While our team is happy to provide the available aviation options, Capital Air Express does not arrange or coordinate ground transportation or other travel services. Once you’ve decided which option works for you, just let us know where you’d like us to take you.
4. CHANGES TO FLIGHT COST
Changing airports or modifying an itinerary may change the amount of flying required. If an alternate airport, additional flight leg, fuel stop, repositioning, or other passenger-requested change results in additional flight time or expense, additional charges may apply.
Whenever reasonably possible, we’ll communicate those costs before proceeding so you can decide which option makes the most sense for you.
5. ATC DELAYS & GROUND STOPS
Heavy game-weekend traffic can result in ATC ground stops, departure delays, airborne holding, reroutes, or other traffic-management measures. These decisions are made by Air Traffic Control and are outside Capital Air Express’s control.
We’ll keep you updated as information becomes available, but a scheduled departure time does not necessarily mean ATC will allow the aircraft to depart or arrive at that exact time.
6. DIVERSIONS
Conditions can change even after your flight is underway. If ATC, airport conditions, weather, fuel requirements, safety considerations, or another operational issue prevents us from reaching the planned airport, the flight may need to divert.
Our pilots will always prioritize getting everyone safely on the ground. If a diversion occurs, passengers are responsible for arranging any necessary ground transportation or accommodations from the diversion airport.
7. PARKING, FUEL & AIRCRAFT REPOSITIONING
Game-weekend airports frequently have limited parking and fuel availability. We may need to carry additional fuel, make a fuel stop, reposition the aircraft while you attend the game, or return to pick you up later.
These operational decisions are handled by our team and flight crew based on airport availability, aircraft requirements, safety, and applicable regulations.
8. POST-GAME DEPARTURES
Immediately after the game is often the busiest part of the entire weekend, with a large number of aircraft attempting to depart within a short window. Requested departure times may be affected by airport congestion, ATC sequencing, ramp access, or ground stops.
We recommend allowing some flexibility in your post-game plans and understanding that getting everyone out safely and efficiently can take time.
9. CANCELLATIONS, AIRPORT CLOSURES & TRAVEL CREDITS
Airport closures, ATC restrictions, or other circumstances outside Capital Air Express’s control do not automatically qualify a trip for a refund.
If we cannot operate the trip as originally planned, we will work with you to identify reasonable alternatives whenever possible. If you choose not to use an available alternative, or circumstances prevent the trip from being completed, our standard cancellation and flight-credit policies may apply. Any applicable credit will remain available according to the terms of your booking.
10. WHEN PLANS NEED TO CHANGE
When something unexpected happens, our job is to clearly communicate the aviation options available to you. Your job is simply to decide which option works best for your plans and let us know.
Our operations team cannot plan alternate ground transportation, research rental cars, coordinate hotels, or determine how passengers should reach their final destination from an alternate airport. This allows our team to stay focused on what we do best: safely managing the aircraft, crews, airports, and changing flight conditions.
A LITTLE EXTRA PATIENCE GOES A LONG WAY
We’ll always do everything reasonably possible to keep your trip moving and keep you informed along the way. College football weekends are simply a different operating environment than an ordinary travel day, and sometimes even the best-planned itinerary needs to change.
So please pack a little extra patience along with your team colors, build some flexibility into your plans, and know that our team will be working hard behind the scenes to get you where you’re going as safely and efficiently as conditions allow. And, of course, we hope your team wins!