Gopher Football Fans Scrambling To Secure Travel To Holiday Bowl
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Some Minnesota Gopher fans are scrambling to find a plane ticket to make it to the Holiday Bowl in California.
The University of Minnesota Alumni Association canceled their charter flight just a day after fans had signed up to go.
One fan tweeted Monday after he tried to find an alternative commercial flight, writing: "Amazingly enough, flights to San Diego have DOUBLED in the past 24 hours! Guess I'll watch the game on TV instead but this is poor form!"
The university's alumni association told the roughly two dozen people who had signed up that the cancellation was due to low numbers in the first 36 hours. They need 135 people to book a full flight.
Lisa Lewis, the president of the alumni association, says she believes the turnout wasn't due to fan interest, but rather about fans wanting to book their own flights to spend more time in San Diego.
"We don't look at how people go, we look at whether they go," Lewis said. "And for us that's the most important thing and creating that great experience once they're there."
Lewis also said the move was proactive as the association didn't anticipate reaching the minimum 135.
The cheapest flight roundtrip flight WCCO could find for Dec. 26 – Dec. 28 was $875 per person, a number the association says would be close to the breakdown of the original package.
WCCO's own Pat Kessler and his wife, who've traveled several times with the Gophers, will be among the fans booking an alternate option.
"We'll figure it out, Gopher fans always figure it out," Kessler said.
Fans who booked the air and land package are being offered a full refund. The alumni association says they're working with those fans to get them on a waiting list with another charter flight.
If you're interested in any of the other fan packages the university has to offer for the Holiday Bowl, click here.
