Which sport makes the most money in the world? The answer, perhaps surprisingly, is the American National Football League.
For 2023, Statista reported a revenue of more than $20 billion for the NFL, almost double the $11 billion of the NBA, and vastly more than the $1.2 billion made by FIFA. With all that money sloshing around, NFL teams must all be jetting around on private planes, right?
Not so much. In fact, just two NFL teams have their own planes, while the rest fly commercial. But as we’ll see, NFL teams don’t exactly fly the same way we do (and for good reason).
Join us as we discover how NFL teams fly, and the logistics that go into this mammoth transportation task.
How do NFL teams fly? The size of the task
The NFL is made up of 32 teams, all of which are spread out across the US. Some are as close as 30 miles (45 km) apart, while others are as distant as almost 3,000 miles (4,500 km). That means a lot of traveling.
Each team has an active roster of 53 players to get to and from games, as well as coaches, medical staff, nutritionists, and even team doctors. According to an article in the New York Times, as many as 175 to 200 people will be in the traveling party for any game.
On top of this, teams need to transport immense amounts of equipment to each game. According to Axios, teams take at least 53 bags – one for every player – plus an additional 10-16 bags for practice squad players. They’ll typically take 27 team balls and various consumables for the trip. In all, the equipment weighs in at 15,000 lbs (6,800 kg), rising to 20,000 lbs (9,000 kg) in cold weather.
In some cases, trucks will leave a couple of days before the planes, travelling by road ahead of the flight. But when the games are far apart, that’s just not practical, so the flight has to accommodate all of the kit too.
Do NFL teams have their own planes?
Two teams have invested in their own aircraft for team travel.
The New England Patriots were the first NFL team to purchase their own aircraft, buying a pair of Boeing 767-300s in 2017. Formerly operated by American Airlines, they’re configured in a VIP layout and operated by Omni Air for the flights. Nicknamed ‘AirKraft’ in honor of chairman Robert Kraft, the jets give the Patriots the ultimate flexibility when traveling to games.
The Arizona Cardinals followed suit in 2021 when they acquired a Boeing 777 all liveried up in their team colors. It’s a former Delta Air Lines plane, previously registered N867DA, but now carries the Cardinals tail number of N777AZ. Based at Phoenix Sky Harbor, it’s configured with 28 first class and 48 business class seats for players, plus another 212 economy seats for the entourage.
Do NFL players fly first class?
For the rest of the teams without private jets, it’s a case of flying commercial. They don’t fly quite like the rest of us do, though.
NFL teams will charter aircraft from commercial airlines solely for the purposes of their trip. That’s necessary when you consider the volume of people and equipment with which they travel. In fact, a regular narrowbody plane like a Boeing 737 just isn’t big enough, so in most cases, they’ll charter a widebody like a Boeing 767 or 777.
Given that these widebody planes are typically used for long, international services, many will come with two, three or even four classes of seating. First class is a rarity in US aviation, although American still has the product. But for most teams, there will be plenty of business class seats, topped up with premium economy, for the players to stretch out in.
Those larger seats aren’t just a treat for NFL players. These guys are big, averaging 250 lbs of body weight. Cramming them into an economy seat isn’t just going to be uncomfortable – it could even affect their performance in the game, so flying business or first class is essential.
What we don’t know is how they decide who gets the really nice business class seats, if there are less than 53, and who is relegated to the ‘quite nice’ premium economy. You have to wonder if there’s a hierarchy in the team regarding who gets to sit where.
What airlines does the NFL use?
NFL teams have traditionally flown with the ‘big three’ US airlines – American, Delta and United. In the 2024-25 season, United Airlines flew more NFL charters than any other, making use of 767s, 787 Dreamliners and 777s for the services.
Delta has done its fair share of NFL transport, also using the 767 as well as bringing some Airbus action to the charters. This most recent season has seen the A330 and even the A350 used for flights, too.
For the Dallas Cowboys, flying out of Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), the choice of airline is obvious. American Airlines has been flying the Cowboys for more than three decades, and for the past few years, the team has been treated to a Boeing 777 with 37 business class seats and 24 premium economy seats.
“The crew working charters for American has a lot of pride,” says Capt. Bill Peterson, a Boeing 777 captain who has been flying the Cowboys for 10 years. “Charters are unique, and crew members are involved in every detail, even down to making sure there is enough water on the plane for players and crew.”
All of the US legacy airlines participate in NFL transport. JetTip does a great job of tracking who’s flying where and how. As an example, on Saturday January 4, 2025, seven teams traveled with United Airlines, amongst them the Chicago Bears, San Francisco 49ers and the New Orleans Saints. Four flew with Delta, including the LA Chargers, Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings. None traveled with American Airlines.
In 2017, American cut ties with several NFL teams, citing unprofitable operations. It now only flies the Carolina Panthers, the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles (although it did fly the LA Rams in ‘24/’25). United Airlines has not renewed its contracts with a couple of teams. In fact, airlines have been dropping NFL contracts left and right – but why?
Why airlines don’t want to fly the NFL
The problem with transporting NFL teams is the schedule. In that Week 18 schedule, for example, Delta was transporting the Cincinnati Bengals to play the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday night. Delta doesn’t have a hub in Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport (CVG), although it did for many years.
So, to get the Bengals to Pittsburgh, Delta had to fly its Boeing 767 for an hour from its home in Atlanta to Cincinnati on Friday night. It took off with the Bengals and their team at 4pm, arriving in Pittsburgh 45 minutes later.
Then, that 767, usually cruising with over 200 passengers to places like Los Angeles, Papeete, New York and Honolulu, had to wait on the ground for 32 hours for the game to be over. Finally, it took off from Pittsburgh at 1:30am on Sunday morning, arriving back in Cincinnati at 2:15am.
Delta then had to reposition the plane for its next commercial service, flying for over an hour to JFK for a flight to Mexico City the next day. All in, Delta’s Boeing 767-300ER was tied up for more than two days for what amounted to an hour and a half of paid flying.
You can see, then, why airlines are hesitant about committing to an NFL contract, particularly with teams that are not based at their hubs. Conversely, sports like basketball, baseball and hockey play far more games each season, making their contracts more attractive. Plus, they can cope with smaller planes, so airlines don’t have to tie up a widebody.
How do NFL teams fly if the airlines won’t take them?
Apart from the two outliers that have invested in their own jets, NFL teams unable to secure a contract with a commercial airline are forced to look to dedicated charter companies.
Atlas Air, a specialist charter and cargo airline, has become a top choice for teams and has been flying NFL squads since 2017. While it does have Boeing 767s on hand, it mainly flies NFL teams using a pair of specially-configured Boeing 747s – the ‘Queen of the Skies.’
Atlas has five 747-400s in passenger configuration, two of which have a very premium heavy layout. N263SG and N322SG are outfitted with 10 first class, 143 business class and just 36 economy seats. That’s more than enough premium seating for all the players on roster, plus most of the support staff too.
“We’ve worked very hard to establish ourselves as a leading provider of VIP charter service,” says Bill Grobasky, director of Atlas Air Passenger Charter Sales. “We have a relentless focus on quality service and meeting each team’s unique requirements.”
JetTip shows that teams including the Seattle Seahawks, Miami Dolphins, Denver Broncos, Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars all used Atlas 747s during the 24/25 season. You can get a peek at the immense logistical challenge these services involve in the video below:
Some teams have turned to unusual strategies to secure their airline contracts. The Green Bay Packers, for example, work with Delta to provide two separate small planes instead of one large one, which is easier for the airline to manage. Typically, this means a Boeing 757 and a Boeing 737, which take off within 15 minutes of each other.
The NFL has contemplated investing in its own fleet of aircraft, or at least negotiating a deal with airlines to buy travel in a bulk way to save teams money. So far, nothing has come of those efforts.
For now, NFL teams face high costs of transportation, which will only get worse as demand for commercial aviation continues to surge.