Remind me of what "major league" team in any other sport sets up charters to their championship games?
Many NFL teams do it for every REGULAR season game and all do it for the Super Bowl. Same with college football bowls for the major programs. Now, the teams mostly sub this out to a travel agency who handles the logistics. But it is not uncommon at all for big single events.
As a former NFL season ticket holder your use of "many" is off. In fact there are only three that have any official program that I am aware of. Also, those three do so throughout the season by signing with a travel agency which I doubt any MLS team has the cash to do. Most teams offer "packages for hotel and ticket discount" but that is through sponsors anyway. I fact, if you scour the net for travel packages and groups you will see several teams have "fans" that have banded together and create a travel experience along with discounts and such. That would be something for folks to consider here for next year.
I can think of three teams off the top of my head that do it - Packers, Giants, Patriots. Giants have beem doing it for like 25 years. And I know for the Super Bowl almost all teams do it. And most run it thru a travel agency as I said. I had no expectation the Dynamo would do it for MLS Cup, but id have thought with the two week gap they'd have thought about it.
You're not a true fan if you don't know when to use "your" or "you're".... Unless of course somebody has made it capable to be a "not". If anybody can now become a word that expresses negative thought, it'll be the infamous juvechelsea. Seriously, though, the Dynamo should've done it. SOCCER teams do it all around the world! Manchester United, Fulham, Liverpool, Arsenal, Tigres, Chivas, Boca Jrs., and I'm sure others.
I don't get why Houston's FO hasn't been more into this. I mean The Scum chartered a freaking bus in a Nor'easter and got their fans tickets. I think most Houston fans would be ecstatic with buy your own game ticket and ride on a bus for 24 hours. -of course I am thinking for closer locales (ie KC, Dallas)
I used the link the Dynamo provided in the email and nothing was available on Monday morning. Anybody got a number or hook up? I want to be in LA bad terrible.
There is a Facebook/Twitter presale today at 2 PM PST (4 PM CST): https://www.facebook.com/events/209145522553981/ http://twitter.com/lagalaxy
your slip is showing Mr. Freud, because i didn't say anything about fandom. it was more of a comment on a person that can't endure airport layovers in a first world country with a smart phone, a laptop, magazines, books and facilities. i've been to Denver for work, i promise you that there are not any homeless people in the terminal.
We are talking past each other. Every NFL team has some affiliation with travel services. However, only three that I know initiated the agreement through the team. The rest are sponsorship deals. I only know this because sports travel was an article in one of the magazines I read last year. So putting the responsible on the team is a bit off base. As to why they don't do something for the Cup, because they don't have to. Sales are orderly and our allotment is sold to people who will figure it out. Would it be nice sure but there is no compelling reason to spend the money. You know that. Last year was in response to a PR mess. DC was in response to another PR nightmare and an effort to get some attendance for a national game. In this case demand far exceeds supply.
that's because they give them one way tickets to any place of their choosing. Oh wait that's Salt Lake City, nevermind.
I don't really care whether or not the team books the travel itself or partner with an agency. Point is, it may appear they never considered it. It wouldn't have been a big deal to hold back 200 tickets and see if they could fill up a 737 or two and then release them later in the week. They don't have to, might have been a nice thing. Its easier and cheaper and quicker to blast email a link and be done with it. BTW, like 3,500 seats for sale on stubhub
I have spent far too much time in most Western US airports to want to spend layover time there again unless its required for a connecting flight to a place you can't get to directly from Houston.
Try taking a flight from Minot North Dakota to Minneapolis and get bumped off the North Central Airlines DC-3 in Brainerd, Minnesota, because you were on a military discount fare. Then catch the milk train for a 4 1/2 100 mile trip into the big city. Made me want to desert and head on home to Blighty
https://tickets.axs.com/eventShopperV2f.html?wr=bb807605-6255-4e3f-a6d2-f4af44e91770&skin=lagalaxy&preFill=1 - Code WINAGAIN --- 1 hr Presale
Yeah I think you missed my point. Travel agencies are sponsors and partners with teams. No travel agency in their right mind is going to partner with a local MLS team at this point because it is not going to generate the revenue needed to offset the sponsorship cost. We just don't move that many people to away games. Hell, there are some games where the Steelers can have enough away fans to fill up half our stadium. Could they have worked out a discount with Continental/United . . . not sure if they could have in a two day span (or so) but having done it in the past for over 1000 people in my company the discount wouldn't have made much difference in overall cost.
Public sale of MLS cup tix will be at 5pm today - follow @lagalaxy twitter account. After that you'll all be on your own.
If someone can secure a ticket for me, I will provide airfare. Have SWA round-trip voucher. Let me know. Would love to be there!
I think you missed my original point, or at least got sidetracked defending FO inaction or ignorance. Point is, charter or arranged package trips are a staple of "major" events, whether pro or college. Hell, NASCAR races have one for each race. Now, not all will charter planes. The airfare component is the trickiest and the thing that limits the potential because you are at the mercy of the airline schedule on short notice the way the Final is set up. Which is why a charter trip is not crazy. But maybe MLS just isn't major league when it comes to thinking like that. This isn't about a discount, it's about putting a package together to minimize time and maximize ease of trip. Charter, bus, pregame party, game, bus, charter, home. $600-$700. They'd have takers on that to fill a plane. I had this discussion with folks about this last year, they'd do a package thing like that and be in with it at that price range. Yes, team would probably make little money on it, agency would make the profit, team probably have a deposit or minimum guarantee at risk. But it really wouldn't be that much at risk. I would be suprised that they never thought of that, or at least considered something like that. I guess putting a United airlines link on the schedule page next to each game is the extent of their thought. They aren't wired to think something like that would have value. On a completely different note, I legitimately heard a rumor that Greenstar may be out as jersey sponsor after this year. Second hand, but they heard it from someone who would be aware if something was percolating. I thought the deal ran another year but there may be outs. We are also up for a jersey refresh since we are at the end of the two-year cycle.