BillsMafia on the road: Is traveling with the team worth it?
Jan 25, 2025
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) - Well, Bills fans will do whatever it takes to cheer their team on (we all knew that one) but some of those fans are going the extra mile, or extra thousand miles, to watch them take on the Chiefs for the AFC Championship!
Thad’s Three Things (AFC Championship): Bills at Chiefs
News 8 heard from some local folks who made the 15-hour trek to Kansas City this weekend. Quite a few folks hit the road, or skies, to see Sunday's game. Should the team move forward to the Big Game, even more folks are expected to venture from the Rochester area to New Orleans.
However, for a journey of over 1,000 miles, it's not cheap, especially by plane. The price spiked even more once the Bills secured their seat in this week's game. So, we can expect much of the same should they move forward. An AAA expert weighed in:
“Sunday night, round trip tickets from Rochester to Kansas City were anywhere from $700-$800. By mid-week, all of those tickets with the exception of some discount airlines were well over $1,000 dollars. So, the demand drove those prices up," said Communications Specialist Mark Gruba.
That didn't stop many fans from making the trip on the ground. Even if it wasn't super fun for some.
"It was - Monday night, early Tuesday night that we made the decision, 'alright, let's do this, you only live once,'" said travelers Dan Desmond and Kerrie Moore.
What did they learn? To plan ahead. Like, as far out as possible.
"If the Bills are able to beat the Chiefs, and they advance to the Super Bowl, fans who want to get to the game need to make their plans as quickly as possible - starting that process as early as Sunday night," said Gruba. “Airlines to New Orleans right now from Rochester for the weekend of the Super Bowl - Friday to Monday -- are in the range of $1,000. I would expect those numbers to go up as well.”
If you plan to drive to the game day-of, or the Big Game in a few weeks, the same thing applies: Take as much time as you need to prepare.
Dan and Kerrie said although the drive was estimated to take 15 hours, between traffic and making stops along the way, it ended up being closer to 20 to get to Kansas City.
Sunday's game kicks off in Kansas City at 6:30 p.m. You can watch it on WROC News Channel 8.