How Do AAA Baseball Teams Travel?

Traveling to away games is a huge part of being a professional baseball player. But how do teams travel? Let’s take a look at how AAA baseball teams travel.

By Bus

The bus is the most common mode of transportation for AAA baseball teams. Buses can transport a large number of people and their equipment at one time, which is perfect for teams that travel often. Buses are also relatively cheap to operate and maintain, which is important for teams on a budget.

Short-Season and Rookie Leagues

In short-season and rookie leagues, teams usually travel by bus. In fact, minor league baseball players often joked that their buses were “hotels on wheels.” The buses were equipped with bunks, so players could sleep during long trips.

Some of the historic “hotels on wheels” used by minor league baseball teams include:
-The Blue Goose: Used by the St. Louis Cardinals’ minor league teams in the 1920s and 1930s.
-The Greyhound: Used by the Pittsburgh Pirates’ minor league team in the 1930s.
-The Yankee Clipper: Used by the New York Yankees’ minor league team in the 1940s.

Major and Minor Leagues

During the regular season, teams play almost every day, and there can be long trips between cities. In the minor leagues, most teams bus to their away games. In the majors, some teams still bus to nearby cities. For example, the Philadelphia Phillies often bus to Baltimore and Washington, D.C. But most major league teams fly to their away games.

Flying is faster than riding a bus, but it is also more expensive. So, how do baseball teams decide whether to fly or ride the bus? It depends on how far they have to travel and how much money they have.

The minor league season is shorter than the major league season, so minor league teams have less time to make money. That is one reason why they often travel by bus instead of by plane. Major league teams can afford to fly because they make a lot of money from ticket sales and TV contracts.

Another reason why minor league teams take the bus is that many of their players have never flown before. That might seem strange, but it’s true! A lot of minor league players come from small towns and have never had the opportunity to fly. So, riding a bus is not a big deal for them.

Some major league players also prefer to take the bus instead of flying. They say that it is easier to sleep on a bus than on a plane. And they can relax and watch TV or movies on a long bus ride.

By Train

Amtrak

Amtrak provides many of the longer distance trips for teams and is a popular choice because it’s relatively comfortable and offers a sleeping car option on some routes. Amtrak also offers a 10% discount to AAA members.

Canadian National Railway

Most Major League Baseball teams travel by chartered jet planes, but there are a few teams that still travel by train. The Canadian National Railway (CN) is a transportation company that operates in both Canada and the United States. It is the only rail company that still offers service to MLB teams. The Chicago Cubs, Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, and Pittsburgh Pirates all travel by CN when they play in Canada.

By Plane

It’s no secret that travel is a big part of minor league baseball. Players often spend hours on buses, going from one small town to the next. But what about when they make it to the big leagues? How do AAA baseball teams travel?

Commercial Airlines

Commercial airlines are the most common mode of transport for AAA baseball teams. Most AAA teams have a contract with a particular airline, and the team will travel on that airline whenever possible. The benefits of this arrangement are twofold: first, the team gets a discount on their airfare; and second, they can be certain that their equipment and luggage will be handled with care.

There are some drawbacks to traveling by commercial airline, however. The schedules can be inflexible, and delays or cancellations are always a possibility. Moreover, commercial airlines typically don’t have the same level of customer service as private charter companies.

Private Jets

Though Major League Baseball teams fly on commercial airlines for the majority of their trips, they do have the option to fly on private jets when they need to. In 2018, the New York Yankees spent $5 million on private jet travel, while the Boston Red Sox spent $3.5 million.

By Boat

Most people know that Major League Baseball teams travel by airplane, but what about the minor league teams? The answer might surprise you. Many minor league teams, especially those in the lower levels, travel by bus. But what about the teams in between? How do they get from city to city? For the most part, they travel by boat.

Ferry

The Staten Island Ferry is a passenger ferry route operated by the New York City Department of Transportation. The ferry’s single route runs 5.2 miles (8.4 km) through New York Harbor between the boroughs of Manhattan and Staten Island, with intermediate stops at South Ferry/Whitehall Street in Lower Manhattan and St. George in Staten Island’s St. George neighborhood.

The Staten Island Ferry is the world’s busiest ferry route, carrying over 23 million passengers in 2015. It is also one of the world’s shortest ferry routes, with a travel time of approximately 25 minutes.

The Staten Island Ferry operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and transports an average of 65,000 passengers per day on weekdays and another 35,000 per day on weekends.