Being A Fan Is Costly

I've been asked by a few out-of-town friends if I am planning on going to see the Winnipeg Jets and Vegas Golden Knights play at BellMTS Place. I will tell you right now: that's a big negative. I spent some time on Friday trying to see if I could find tickets that won't prompt to take a second mortgage, but it's proving difficult thanks to the pricing that the Jets have set for this third round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. To be honest, I'd need the salary of a Winnipeg Jet to see the Jets play.

Tickets for this round of play at BellMTS Place start in the 300-level at $257 plus fees and taxes. Conservative estimates would put that cost around $300 for nosebleed tickets at the rink. If I wanted to hang out with Cassie Campbell-Pascale and Scott Oake on the 100-level, those tickets are priced at $730 plus fees and taxes. Again, let's just call it $800.

In other words, it ain't cheap to see the Jets at home. That's when a few people in my social circle said, "What about Vegas?"

Allegiant Air, as seen in the lede photo, added a Wednesday afternoon flight from Grand Forks International Airport to the McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas with a return on Saturday. Domestic flights in the US are usually far cheaper than flying from Canada across the border, so it was worth the gamble to see if this added flight would be more economical than buying tickets at home. According to Allegiant's website, the cost for booking this flight?

$660 per seat. To start. OUCH.

Ok, so maybe there isn't any way to see the Jets without paying a ton of dough in this third round. I guess the $300 for the upper-deck tickets might be the most economical choice if one wants to watch the game live and in-person.

For now, I'm fairly happy watching the game from my couch with cold beverages in the fridge, good food nearby, no line-ups for the bathroom, and, if needed, a change of clothes in case there are nachos or other food spilled. I'm not complaining about the accommodations since the mortgage payment I'd need to spend on a ticket can actually be spent on my mortgage!

While season ticket holders spend far less than what the walk-up crowd does, True North Sports and Entertainment is clearly making truckloads of money in these playoffs! Go Jets Go!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!