Do NFL Teams Have Their Own Planes?
Contents
A look at whether NFL teams have their own planes and if so, how they use them.
Introduction
In the National Football League (NFL), teams travel to away games using commercial airlines. The league charter program, which was introduced in 1985, coordinates the travel schedules for all 32 teams and transports players, coaches, team personnel, and medical staff on regularly scheduled flights during the season.
While commercial travel is the norm in the NFL, a few teams have their own planes that they use for team travel. The Dallas Cowboys were the first team to purchase their own plane in 1995 and since then, a few other teams have followed suit. Teams that own their own planes include the New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Miami Dolphins.
There are several benefits to owning your own plane for team travel. First, it allows teams to be more flexible with their travel schedule and avoids the hassle of coordinating flights with other teams. Second, it allows teams to transport more equipment and staff on each trip. Finally, it can be a promotional tool – fans love seeing their favorite team’s plane arrive at the airport!
Whether or not a team owns its own plane is ultimately up to the team’s owner or front office. Some owners feel that it is a necessary expense while others believe that commercial travel is sufficient. There are pros and cons to both options and it ultimately comes down to what makes sense for each individual team.
The Dallas Cowboys
As one of the most popular teams in the NFL, it’s no surprise that the Dallas Cowboys have their own plane. The team’s owner, Jerry Jones, actually purchased a Boeing 767-300 back in 2000 for a reported $130 million. The plane has since been customized with all first-class seats, a dining area, a lounge, and even a bar.
The New England Patriots
The New England Patriots own two Boeing 767 wide-body jets. They are both used for transporting the team to away games. The team’s primary plane is painted with the team’s colors and logo, while the other is painted in a red, white, and blue color scheme.
The New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team is headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey. In a unique arrangement for the league, the Jets share MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey with the New York Giants. The franchise is legally and corporately registered as New York Jets, LLC.
The team was founded in 1959 as the Titans of New York, an original member of the American Football League (AFL); later, the franchise joined the NFL in the AFL–NFL merger in 1970. The team began to play at Shea Stadium in 1964 and made it to Super Bowl III in 1968. Since 1968, they have appeared in one AFL Championship Game (1968), six AFC Championship Games (1982, 1985, 1998, 2009, 2010, and 2015), ten divisional playoff games (1969–1971, 1973–1975, 1982, 1985–1986 1988 1989 1998 2002 2004 2006 2009 2010), and twelve wild card playoff games (1982 1983 1985 1986 1989 1990 1991 1998 2001 2002 2004 2006 2010 2011). However, since their establishment fifty-eight years ago as the Titans of New York (later renamed as Jets), they have never advanced to an NFC Championship Game or Super Bowl; their lone Super Bowl appearance was following their 1968 AFL Championship win against Oakland Raiders.
The San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers have their own plane that they use to fly to their away games. The plane is a 757-200 and has a capacity of 183 passengers. It is equipped with first class, business class, and coach seats.
The Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks do not have their own plane. The team flies commercial.
Conclusion
Overall, it seems thatNFL teams typically do not have their own planes. Instead, they charter flights as needed for away games and events. This likely saves the teams a significant amount of money, as owning and maintaining a fleet of private jets would be quite expensive. Plus, chartering gives teams the flexibility to fly on different types of planes (larger ones for longer trips, smaller ones for shorter trips, etc.), which might not be possible if they were only using their own jets.
