Airlines are making life easier for Ohio State Buckeyes fans ahead of the 2026 college football season. Reports claim that four major carriers are adding 25 extra flights and deploying larger planes for five weekend games. According to The Columbus Dispatch, they are bringing about 3700 seats to John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH).

According to an airport press release, Southwest, Delta, American, and United Airlines are the big names stepping up to make your game-day travel a lot smoother for traveling fans. They are adjusting schedules so travelers can arrive before kickoff and get home without a long overnight wait. If you are eyeing a trip, you will want to look at flights flying under these specific brands.

The biggest travel weekend of the 2026 season is clearly Ohio State’s September 12 road game against the Texas Longhorns in Austin. With demand expected to be huge, airlines are using more than half of their added flights for that weekend alone. Fans can choose from 13 extra flights, while three regular flights will be upgraded to larger wide-body aircraft.

That means thousands of Buckeyes fans can fly into Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) on Friday, September 11, and return home on Sunday, September 13, without dealing with long layovers.

United Airlines is also adding a temporary nonstop flight between Columbus and Eugene, Oregon, for the November 7 matchup against the Oregon Ducks. The special route makes travel much easier for fans heading to the Pacific Northwest. Along with that, United is adding extra Friday and Sunday round-trip flights for the Texas game, giving Buckeyes fans a quick and direct way to reach Austin.

Delta Air Lines is also adjusting its schedule to help fans travel to Ohio State’s biggest road games. The airline is adding more capacity for the September 12 showdown against Texas and the October 31 clash with the USC Trojans in Los Angeles, making it easier for fans to attend both marquee matchups.

American Airlines is taking the lead on regional Midwest travel by boosting its seating capacity to classic Big Ten destinations. For the October 3 road game against the Iowa Hawkeyes, American is teaming up with Delta to provide four extra flights into Cedar Rapids (CID).

American Airlines is also locking down the travel market for the late-season November 21 OSU game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. They are adding two specialized flights into Lincoln (LNK), ensuring that the sea of scarlet and gray can easily invade Memorial Stadium without having to fly into Omaha and rent a car.

More flights on the way??

It is important to remember that these 3,700 seats represent purely bonus game-day capacity. They are completely separate from the standard daily flight schedules that these airlines already run out of Columbus every single week.

The best part of this announcement is that this might be the opening kickoff for airline updates this year. Airport officials have already said they are ready to add more flights later this year if demand continues to grow.

If Ohio State reaches the College Football Playoff, airlines are expected to introduce even more flights for postseason travel. For now, the focus is on these five regular-season games. One smart move for Buckeyes fans is to lock in travel plans early, because game-weekend schedules can tighten fast when a matchup starts drawing national attention.

For a season built around big road trips and heavy demand, the earliest planners will likely have the smoothest trip. Let us know what you think about the new airport press release in the comments below.