The New England Patriots paid $10 million for two Boeing 767-300ERs from American Airlines in 2017. The planes can fly nonstop for 12 hours, costing $20,000 to $30,000 per hour of flight time. But it could save the team millions in the long run. Here's why they did it 👇 NFL teams only play 8 or 9 away games each year, compared to 41 in the NBA or 81 in MLB. But that doesn't mean these trips are easy. NFL teams start coordinating hotels and transportation months in advance, focusing on everything from a custom protein-packed menu at the hotel to the security guards that protect players and staff at night. It's a process that takes months to plan, and each NFL team typically budgets about $4 million per year in travel expenses. But the toughest part is coordinating flights. That's because NFL teams typically travel 20,000+ miles in a season....with 150+ people and more than 15,000 pounds of equipment. So while other sports leagues can use smaller planes like A320s, 737s, or 757s, NFL teams require larger aicrafts from commercial airlines like 767s or 777s. But there is just one problem. Many airlines don't want to work with NFL teams. That's because their most profitable planes sit idle for days at a time while NFL teams travel. Here's an example (via Wendover Productions/YT): 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. This plane then flies to Charlotte, sits on the ground for 33 hours, flies the team back to New Orleans, and then proceeds to fly *empty* to NYC 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. Now, there are other solutions. Some teams have started signing agreements with charter-only companies like Atlas Air or Miami Air International, while others are using multiple smaller planes instead of one big airplane. But another way to avoid this problem is by owning your own plane. That's why Robert Kraft paid $10 million for two Boeing 767-300ERs from American Airlines in 2017. The jets are 30 years old, cost $20,000 to $30,000 per hour of flight time, and would typically include more than $200,000 in annual storage fees. But the interior is customized with 2-2-2 business class seating, including extra legroom, WiFi, HD screens for in-flight entertainment, and a custom food menu with Angus beef burgers, chicken breast, and ice cream. This gives the New England Patriots ultimate flexibility — and other teams are catching on, too. The Arizona Cardinals also bought an airplane (a Boeing 777-200ER) that seats 288 people with 28 first-class pods, including lie-down seats and 48 business-class seats. 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. And with the average NFL franchise now worth $4.5 billion, don’t be surprised when other teams decide to bite the bullet and buy their own private jets too. ** This breakdown is an excerpt from my 3x weekly podcast (Top 50 in US Sports). Subscribe below so you don't miss any episodes going forward! ** Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas… Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/5PLKKW…