Sports fans, this one’s for you, as it’s your annual post about anything related to professional sports. 😉
New England Patriots players don’t like their Boeing 767
The logistics of transporting sports teams can be complicated, since historically, most teams charter commercial aircraft to get to and from their games. Back in 2017, the New England Patriots did something that was innovative at the time, when they picked up their own team aircraft.
This decision was made for a couple of reasons. For one, leasing planes from airlines for charters became increasingly complicated and expensive at the time, as airlines just didn’t have the spare capacity. On top of that, the idea was that this was supposed to be a genuine positive for the team, and another way to attract talent. After all, flying around on your own “private” team jet sounds nicer than flying on another chartered aircraft. However, as it turns out, the team isn’t actually too happy with this.
The National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) publishes an annual report card, whereby team members can rank their team in 11 categories, ranging from facilities, to ownership, to nutrition.
The New England Patriots don’t seem to be doing too well when it comes to that. Last year, the team ranked 29th out of 32 teams, and this year, the team ranked 31st out of 32 teams.
Interestingly, team travel is one of the two areas where the New England Patriots got the lowest score, and received an “F” grade (with the weight room being the only other area where the team scored an “F”). The NFLPA report card said the following:
“Players want an upgraded team plane. The current plane is too small, there is no Wi-Fi available, and there are seats with ashtrays in the armrests. Players specifically responded that ‘our plane is the worst thing – size, space, safety.’ and ‘it is not conducive to preparedness for athletic performance.'”
Is the Boeing 767 “AirKraft” really that bad?!?
I’ve written in the past about the New England Patriots’ Boeing 767, commonly referred to as the “AirKraft.” The plane is 33 years old, and has the registration code N36NE. Below you can see a video about it from several years back.
This particular plane has 203 seats, with 80 business class seats (2-2-2 configuration) and 123 economy seats (2-3-2 configuration). Here are a few thoughts that I have about the team’s complaints:
- Yeah, lack of Wi-Fi seems like something that’s frustrating for obvious reasons, especially in 2025
- Complaining about ashtrays in the armrests seems a bit petty
- It’s interesting that safety is mentioned as one of the issues with the plane, as I’m curious what the background is for that concern
In terms of comfort, how does this compare to other NFL teams? Well, honestly, the industry is all over the place.
For example, in the past, the Miami Dolphins have chartered an Atlas Air Boeing 747, which is certainly more comfortable, and a super snazzy charter jet. I don’t think team transport gets much more comfortable than that.
The most common situation, though, is that teams just charter airliners. The quality there can vary greatly, and depends on what kind of a plane is being chartered, and what cabin someone is seated in.
Yeah, of course a flat bed would be better than what’s available on the Patriots jet, but the Patriots business class seats are more comfortable than economy, and there are also a lot more premium seats.
I can’t help but wonder if the team would have a different impression of the jet if it simply had Wi-Fi, because otherwise, I just don’t see how this setup is super uncompetitive. But of course that’s just my take, and I’ve never flown on the jet…
Bottom line
The New England Patriots are one of the only NFL teams to have their own “private jet.” While that might sound nice, it also seems to be one of the greatest points of dissatisfaction among team members, who consider the plane to be insufficient in terms of size, space, and safety.
I’m curious to see if the team owners do anything to address these concerns, and whether that just involves installing Wi-Fi, or getting a new plane altogether.
What do you make of the failing grade that the Patriots give their AirKraft?
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