Falcons cutting prices on thousands of PSLs, adding mini-suites

The Atlanta Falcons have recently ordered $200 million of changes to their behind-schedule state-of-the-art stadium. The team will pay for the overage, but left us wondering if the stadium will be ready for preseason of 2017.

Well, more good news. The Falcons are cutting the cost on thousands of personal seat licenses (PSLs). PSLs have become customary to help pay for today's more expensive stadiums. If you are unfamiliar, season ticket holders are now asked to pay the team money to have the right to buy season tickets. The practice has, unsurprisingly, frustrated fans at pretty much every new stadium build.

The Falcons are saying PSL sales have been good, but they are cutting the PSL prices for thousands of seats. Per Tim Tucker of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Seat licenses in the four upper corners of the new stadium, which previously were priced at $1,500 and $1,250, will be re-priced between $500 and $750, according to team officials.

These are far from the best seats in the house, and a spokesperson said fans were asking for more of the cheapest PSL seats. The premium, lower-level seats are reportedly selling well, and the team has sold about 45% of the stadium's seats to new PSL owners.

That seems pretty successful, but it is hard to compare it to other stadium's over a year out from opening. However, dropping thousands of seats is obviously not a great sign, meaning the team will be looking elsewhere to make up the millions of dollars.

What were all those price increases to the stadium, and where can they make up those millions? Lower-level mini-suites, of course. I have not seen anything quite like it in other stadiums, and comments from Falcoholic editors included: "Damn son, that's some next level [expletive]," and "I want to go to there."

Separately, in a late change to the new stadium’s seating configuration and premium sales inventory, the Falcons will add loge boxes — groups of four to eight seats — at the back of the lower bowl inside the 10-yard lines on both sides and ends of the field.

There will be a total of 28 such boxes, starting at approximately $65,000 for the Falcons season with the option of purchasing Atlanta United soccer tickets for an undetermined fee.

The high-tech boxes will include table tops, wireless charging pads, virtual-reality capability and TV screens operated through smartphone apps.

That sounds pretty snazzy, and probably a good way to sell some comfier seating to people who aren't living on bloggers wages. Be sure to check out my Kickstarter of getting the Falcoholic writers a $65,000 mini-suite for this upcoming season.

Thoughts on the changes to the stadium?