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Today At A Glance:
NFL teams only travel for one game per week when they’re on the road during the season. But that doesn’t mean the logistics are easy. Transporting 15,000+ pounds of equipment and over 150+ players, coaches and staff is its own unique bag of tricks. So, today’s newsletter will break down the fascinating logistics of NFL team travel.
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Friends,
The average NFL team only plays eight or nine away games each year — compared to 41 away games for each NBA team and 81 away games for each MLB team.
But that doesn’t mean these trips are your normal, run-of-the-mill operation.
Take the Seattle Seahawks, for example. They will bring 150+ people and more than 15,000 pounds of equipment on nine different road trips this year, traveling 31,600 miles and crossing 36 time zones without ever leaving the United States.
Most NFL Team Travel (2023-24 season)
Seattle Seahawks: 31,600 miles
San Francisco 49ers: 29,958 miles
Miami Dolphins: 27,110 miles
LA Rams: 26,332 miles
LA Chargers: 26,102 miles
Least NFL Team Travel (2023-24 season)
Minnesota Vikings: 13,226 miles
Carolina Panthers: 12,357 miles
Chicago Bears: 12,253 miles
Green Bay Packers: 11,956 miles
Cincinnati Bengals: 11,942 miles
These NFL road trips include a mix of planes, trains, and automobiles. And teams will spend about $4 million on travel costs this year alone, squeezing some of the world’s largest humans into the same commercial airline seats that you or I would sit in.
The industry is changing, too. Many airlines are fed up with their most profitable planes sitting idle while teams stay in host cities for several days. And teams like the New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals are now spending tens of millions of dollars to own and operate their own private planes for team travel.
The planning behind an NFL road trip starts several months in advance. After the schedule officially comes out, some teams will send employees to do site visits in each city, visiting two to ten hotels and booking rooms as far in advance as possible.
Teams will then start coordinating ground transportation from the airport to the hotel to the game and vice-versa. This includes multiple cars and buses (with police escorts) for players, coaches, front office staff, media members, equipment, and more.
And the hotels are an entirely different beast. NFL teams work with hotel chefs to prepare a custom menu packed with protein and carbohydrates for players leading up to the game. Rookies typically share rooms, while veterans get their own. And a team of five to ten security guards (team-employed and off-duty police officers) watch over everything, ensuring players don’t have visitors, go to the hotel bar, or break curfew.
Still, the most challenging aspect of NFL travel is coordinating flights.
That’s because NFL teams travel with 150+ people and 15,000 pounds of equipment. And while other major sports leagues fly on smaller chartered planes like A320s, 737s, or 757s, NFL players can be 300+ lbs and require larger aircrafts from commercial airlines (think: American, Delta, United, Hawaiian Airlines) like 767s or 777s.
However, this presents a serious problem from a supply and demand perspective — especially for NFL teams that aren’t located near an airline hub.
Here’s a real-life example: The New Orleans Saints have a game against the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte, North Carolina. But New Orleans doesn’t have an airline hub.
So, a United airplane has to fly empty from Houston to New Orleans to pick up the team. Then it flies to Charlotte, sits on the ground for 33 hours, flies the team back to New Orleans, and proceeds to fly empty back to New York City for its next flight.
United is only paid for ~3 hours of flight time (even though the plane was used for 44 hours). And it’s one of the reasons why many airlines have either A) jacked up pricing for NFL chartered flights or B) stopped chartering flights to NFL teams altogether.
American Airlines, for instance, has already dropped all chartered teams except the Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys, and Philadelphia Eagles because they’re located at hub airports. And many other teams have started to either sign agreements with charter-only companies like Atlas Air and Miami Air International — or strike a deal with commercial airlines to use multiple smaller planes instead of one big airplane.
But there’s also another way to avoid this problem: buying your own private plane.
The New England Patriots were the first NFL team to buy their own plane(s) when owner Robert Kraft paid $10 million for two Boeing 767-300ERs from American Airlines in 2017. The jets are over 30 years old and cost $20,000 to $30,000 per hour of flight time, but they offer the New England Patriots ultimate flexibility.
The interior of the jets has been customized with 2-2-2 business class seating throughout, including extra legroom, WiFi, HD screens for in-flight entertainment, and a protein-packed menu with Angus beef burgers, chicken breasts, and ice cream.
These planes can fly nonstop for 12 hours. And the Patriots aren’t even being charged the $200,000+ in annual storage fees for their plans at T.F. Green Airport in Warwick, Rhode Island. Why? Because they provide the airport with ~$1 million in free marketing.
Robert Kraft has also used the planes for various other charitable causes:
In 2018, Kraft flew students and families from Parkland High School to Washington, D.C., for the “March for Our Lives” rally.
In April 2020, Kraft’s planes picked up over 1 million N95 masks from China for Boston-area hospitals to use during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2021, Kraft lent his plane and covered all of the costs to fly the University of Rhode Island football team to their game in Baltimore after plans for their charter flight fell through.
In 2022, Kraft lent one of his planes to fly U.S. soldiers from Germany back home for the Memorial Day holiday to spend time with their families.
In 2022, Kraft lent the team plane to University of Virginia football players so they could attend three funerals in three separate states for their teammates D'Sean Perry, Devin Chandler, and Lavel Davis Jr. after they were murdered.
And the New England Patriots aren’t the only ones thinking this way.
The Arizona Cardinals also have their own plane — a Boeing 777-200ER —that seats 288 people with 28 first-class pods, including lie-down seats and 48 business-class seats. And the team’s owner, Michael Bidwell, has had his pilot’s license since he was 19 and frequently flies to pick up free agents and draft picks himself.
So my point is simple: The logistics behind NFL travel are getting more complex by the day. Some teams, like the Patriots and Cardinals, are already taking measures into their own hands. But with the average NFL franchise now worth $4.47 billion, don’t be surprised when other teams decide to bite the bullet and buy a private jet too.
Have a great day. We’ll talk on Thursday.
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Huddle Up is a 3x weekly newsletter that breaks down the business and money behind sports. If you are not already a subscriber, sign up and join 100,000+ others who receive it directly in their inbox each week.
I'm an avid sports business enthusiast with a deep understanding of the intricate logistics involved in the operations of professional sports teams, particularly in the context of the National Football League (NFL). My knowledge extends beyond the surface level, and I can demonstrate a comprehensive grasp of the dynamics surrounding NFL team travel, from the challenges faced to the innovative solutions employed by some franchises.
In the provided article about the Huddle Up newsletter, the focus is on unraveling the complexities of NFL team travel during the season. Here's a breakdown of the key concepts discussed:
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Frequency of Away Games:
- NFL teams play a significantly lower number of away games compared to other major sports leagues like the NBA and MLB. The article emphasizes that NFL teams usually have eight or nine away games per year.
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Travel Distances:
- The article provides statistics on the travel distances for various NFL teams during the 2023-24 season. For example, the Seattle Seahawks are expected to travel 31,600 miles, showcasing the extensive logistics involved in moving teams across the country.
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Modes of Transportation:
- NFL team travel involves a combination of planes, trains, and automobiles. The mention of multiple modes of transportation highlights the complexity of coordinating the movement of players, coaches, staff, and equipment.
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Costs Associated with Travel:
- The financial aspect is addressed, stating that teams will spend about $4 million on travel costs in the specified year. This includes the challenge of fitting large athletes into commercial airline seats during flights.
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Changing Industry Trends:
- The article highlights a shift in the industry, where some NFL teams are opting to own and operate their own private planes for team travel. Notable examples include the New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals, who have made significant investments in private aircraft.
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Logistics Planning:
- Detailed planning for NFL road trips begins months in advance. Teams conduct site visits in each city, book hotels, coordinate ground transportation, and work with hotel chefs to create custom menus for players.
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Challenges of Coordinating Flights:
- Coordinating flights is identified as one of the most challenging aspects of NFL travel. The article explains that the large size of NFL teams and their equipment necessitates the use of larger aircraft from commercial airlines, leading to logistical challenges, especially for teams not located near airline hubs.
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Private Plane Ownership:
- The article presents examples of NFL teams, such as the New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals, investing in and owning their own private planes. It explores the benefits, including flexibility and control, as well as the challenges associated with this approach.
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Community and Charitable Initiatives:
- The article highlights how the New England Patriots and their owner, Robert Kraft, have utilized their private planes for various charitable causes, showcasing the broader impact and community engagement associated with team travel logistics.
In conclusion, the article provides a detailed and insightful exploration of the intricate logistics and business aspects involved in the NFL team travel, offering readers a comprehensive understanding of the behind-the-scenes operations in professional football.
