USC Football: JetBlue Announces Partnership With Trojans and $55 Flights

Sep 13, 2008; Los Angeles, CA; USA; Southern California Trojans white horse mascot Traveler VII with rider Hector Aguilar at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

On Wednesday afternoon, JetBlue Airlines and USC announced a partnership that will help Trojan Alumni follow their team on the road, offering flights at a reduced rate:

JetBlue chose to set rates at $55 to commemorate 55 years that Traveler has been the mascot for the Trojans. This “Traveler Sale” extends fares as low as $55 on short haul routes out of Long Beach, available through August 3, 2012, for the Stanford, Utah, Washington, and Arizona away games.

Jetblue also says they plan to have “Getaways Sweeps”, offering three grand prize winners flight and hotel accommodations for two to see USC play Syracuse at MetLife Stadium on September 8.

According to the JetBlue Blog, this new multiyear partnership will begin with the 2012 football season and will include all 21 of USC’s Division I sports teams.

Officials from JetBlue and USC joined Long Beach mayor Bob Foster, the USC Marching Band and Song Girls, and Traveler himself to make the announcement today at Long Beach International Airport.

Fox Sports the multimedia rights holder for USC athletics, brokered the deal by selling it to JetBlue. It includes a variety of assets, such as:

"Status as the Trojans’ official domestic airline partner, presenting sponsorship for a handful of football and basketball games, JetBlue-branded seats in the L.A. Coliseum, signage at many of USC’s fields and venues and a partnership with the USC alumni association. JetBlue will have the ability to extend special offers to USC alums for road football games and other occasions."

JetBlue previously had one other deal college deal as a longtime sponsor of the Texas Longhorns, but that expired this year.

Dan Shell, Fox’s VP & GM of the USC property, gave a statement at the press conference about the new deal:

"“The unique nature of the deal is the integration of athletic and alumni association assets. You’re starting to see more and more of that across the country, where assets from across campus are incorporated into deals with athletic assets.”"

More details have yet to be released, but we will provide them for you when they become available.

To participate in the Traveler Sale, click here.