A number of dedicated Syracuse fans excited for the NCAA Final Four basketball tournament are currently faced with a lack of affordable flights and an impractical 25-hour road trip with the Orange headed to Houston. But a rightful call on major airlines from Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner should change that.

Miner wrote a letter Tuesday to the CEOs of Delta, JetBlue and American Airlines asking for increased service capacity from Syracuse to Houston after flight rates rose steeply in anticipation of the tournament matchup with North Carolina on Saturday.

Flights from Syracuse to Houston with one stop — considering the three airlines do not have direct flights between the two cities — could be purchased for about $630 on Sunday night on Expedia, a travel planning website, according to Syracuse.com. But by Tuesday, the cheapest flights available through Expedia cost nearly $1,300.

The fact of the matter is that Final Four tournaments with the Orange defying bracket odds don’t happen often — the last time SU was in this position it was 2013 and before that it was 2003. And with a team that has a strong following, the airlines should capitalize on the opportunity and simultaneously make attending the Houston match a more feasible possibility for Orange fans.

While the shift in flight availability may not seem possible, it is a call that has been answered before: Major airlines increased the number of flights available in 2013 when the men’s basketball team made it to the Final Four in Atlanta after Miner issued a similar request. 

“I can assure you that there is a customer base of eager fans looking for affordable flights to Houston who would quickly purchase seats and fill up planes,” said Miner in a press release. “A national championship run isn’t simply about winning a game; it is about uniting the spirit of community around something we can all celebrate.”

Miner’s actions to make a tournament game accessible to the citizens of Syracuse should be commended. And when services have been expanded at least once before for the Orange, airlines should work to ensure the same opportunities are made available at such a historic time for Syracuse basketball.