Gazette, The (Colorado Springs) - Lightning Tickets add value for fans

Some Air Force football tickets will become more valuable later this season.

On Oct. 6, when the Falcons play host to UNLV, Air Force will debut tickets that have additional monetary value and can be used to purchase food or merchandise at the stadium.

The “Lightning Tickets,” as they will be called, will contain a bar code that can be scanned at concessions stands or retail stores in Falcon Stadium, and it will essentially work like a debit card.

For the game against UNLV, the tickets will be available in Air Force’s Family Value Packs (which include four tickets), and each ticket will contain a $5 food or retail value. The Family Value Packs also will be available for the Falcons’ game against San Diego State on Nov. 17.

Lightning Tickets will be an option for single-game tickets beginning with the game against Wyoming on Oct. 20.

Fans purchasing the Lightning Ticket on an individualgame basis will get $7 of stored retail value for $5 (which will be added to the regular ticket price).

Lightning Tickets also will be used on a season-ticket basis for the men’s basketball team in the Center Court Club and Courtside VIP seating areas. They will be an option for selected individual men’s basketball and hockey games.

Air Force sports information director Troy Garnhart said eventually the academy hopes to have season Lightning Tickets that fans can deposit money into throughout the season.

The academy is the first collegiate program to use stored-value tickets. The Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball and the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League use the technology.

“We feel like this technology puts us at the forefront of this movement and will allow us to better serve our fans,” Air Force Senior Associate Athletic Director Michael Saks said in a statement. “We will eventually offer this to all single-game tickets that we sell for football and other sports.”

Falcons on air in Denver

Air Force’s season opener against South Carolina State on Saturday and its conference opener the following week against Utah will be broadcast live in Denver on KBJD 1650 AM. The athletic department is in negotiations to find a permanent radio home in Denver for its football and men’s basketball teams.

Captains

Air Force football coach Troy Calhoun will name different captains for each game this season instead of having permanent captains. He will announce his captains for the South Carolina State game to the team tonight.