Phoenix, Ariz., January 21, 2009. With the Super Bowl just 11 days away, many Arizona Cardinals fans are planning to flock to Tampa Bay to support the National Football Conference champion team as they compete against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Super Bowl Sunday. As a result, hundreds of travel packages and ticket offer advertisements have surfaced across the state and country. While the majority of these offers are legitimate, some are not and will leave some fans scammed by vendors who never had tickets to the game, or fell victim to packages  that proved too good to be true.

“Since the Cardinals captured the NFC title on Sunday, our travel agents have been bombarded with calls from fans wanting to know how they can get to the game,” said Don Gleason, vice president of travel for AAA Arizona. “Our biggest piece of advice to Cardinal fans is to use a reputable travel agency such as AAA to make their travel accommodations. However, we also understand that as a result of the state of the economy, a bargain price tag could very well lure in fans trying to find the cheapest  route to the big game. Unfortunately, this can lead to them being taken advantage of by Super Bowl scammers.”

To help protect Tampa Bay-bound Cardinals fans, AAA Arizona would like to offer the following tips to Super Bowl travelers:

• Purchase tickets and travel packages from reputable travel agents you know and trust, such as AAA.
  
• Beware of solicitations that offer deals far below market value. If a package sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
  
• Pay by credit card when possible, as most credit card companies will allow consumers to dispute a charge within 60 days of a purchase.
  
• Before you pay, get all the details in writing including the total cost, cancellation and change penalties.
  
• Call the travel agent and/or promoter a few days prior to the departure to confirm reservations.

In addition, the auto club would like to offer the following tips to travelers that might help make Super Bowl travel more affordable:

• Consider airport options. Travelers can stand to save substantially by flying into Orlando International Airport, which is about a 50-mile drive to Tampa Bay, as opposed to Tampa International Airport.
  
• Travel with multiple carriers. Travelers who opt to travel with different airline carriers for outbound and inbound flights might be able to fly for less than a traveler who uses the same airline for roundtrip travel.
  
• Combine/group travel options. By combining travel options such as airfare, rental car and hotel stay, travelers are likely to spend less than they would booking travel a la carte.  
  
• Utilize discounts. One way AAA members can avoid paying travel service fees is by booking their travel through AAA.com.  

AAA Travel is currently offering two Super Bowl packages, one which includes game day tickets and another that does not. To learn more about either package, visit http://www.aaaaz.com/travel/sportstravel.htm. Price and availability of these packages are subject to availability and change.

AAA Arizona, the Arizona affiliate of AAA, provides automotive, insurance and auto travel services to nearly 800,000 Arizona members.  Annually, AAA’s Emergency Road Service responds to more than 450,000 calls for help on the streets and highways of the state as well as providing insurance, travel, and financial services to AAA members and motorists.  Since its founding in 1927, AAA Arizona has been a leading advocate for the safety and security of all travelers.  AAA can be visited on the Internet at www.AAA.com.

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