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Pitt gives students a bowl bargain University offering discount on tickets Wednesday, December 06, 2000 By Bill Schackner, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
Air fare to Phoenix isn't cheap, and the alternative may be no better: Imagine you and your friends stuffed into a luggage-filled car for a 38-hour ride to the desert.
But take heart, University of Pittsburgh students. If you're willing to suck it up to see the Panthers play in a bowl game, Pitt has a little something for your trouble --- a half-price game ticket.
Pitt said yesterday that students who buy a ticket on campus will be offered a voucher worth half the $48 price of admission to the Insight.com Bowl. The students, who will need a valid Pitt ID, can redeem the vouchers in Phoenix the day before the game at Bank One Ballpark or at the team's hotel.
Pitt, whose football Panthers are 7-4, said the discount was a way to thank students who helped the team all year by showing up at games and screaming.
"Pitt finished with its best home record in 17 years. Certainly a great factor in that was the student turnout," said E.J Borghetti, a spokesman for the athletic department.
Pitt has begun selling the 10,000 tickets it has been allotted for the Dec. 28 game, Borghetti said.
The contest against Iowa State, whose record is 8-3, will be held in Bank One Ballpark, the baseball home of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The bowl pairing wasn't announced until Sunday night, but already travel agents helping Pitt arrange trips say they have received more than 600 phone calls from Panthers fans.
The faithful had better be prepared to fork over a fair bit of cash, whether they fly, drive or book a package through a travel agent.
With direct flights sold out from Pittsburgh, fans could be facing an air fare of $1,300 to $1,400, said Ed Siegel, co-president of Navigant International Pittsburgh, Pitt's official travel agent for the bowl.
A Saturday night stay could cut that to about $700, but even if a seat can be found at that price, being in Phoenix either weekend presents problems.
Flying in the Saturday before Pitt plays would mean being away from home on Christmas, Siegel said.
Staying in Phoenix the weekend after the game will be especially crowded thanks to the arrival of fans for another major event in nearby Tempe -- the Fiesta Bowl.
His agency has chartered an airplane and is selling three-night packages including air fare, hotel and other items for $1,195. If demand is there, it may also sell flights separately, Siegel said.
If anyone goes by car, they're looking at a trip of just over 2,000 miles.
Still, a December visit to a place with palm trees has its advantages. The Phoenix temperature at noon yesterday was 75 degrees with sunshine, according to the National Weather Service. In Pittsburgh, it was 33 degrees with snow flurries and winds gusting as high as 43 mph.
"Phoenix is one heck of an alternative for the holidays," Borghetti said of the game. "It's a heck of a matchup as well."
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