This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page.
The New England Patriots announced in August that they would become the first NFL team to own an aircraft, instead of getting around on leased planes, and now the most recent Super Bowl champs have unveiled their new Boeing 767s. The team displayed the wide-body jet at a ceremony at T.F. Green Airport in Warwick, Rhode Island (PVD).
With the rising cost of chartering airplanes, the Patriots purchased two 767s in order to ferry the team and staff around the country. According to Airfleets.net, the 767-323ER that was shown off on Wednesday was operated by American Airlines from 1991 through 2016 and sat in storage until the Patriots picked it up. The aircraft’s registration number is N36NE and is operated by an entity named Team 125.
American Airlines was a large operator of charter flights for football teams until recently when it announced that it would no longer fly the Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins due to a lack of aircraft.
The Patriots released a video showing off the aircraft and its interior on Tuesday. The jet is totally decked out in Patriots livery and the cabin appears to be outfitted in a 2-3-2 and 2-2-2 configuration with what looks like domestic first class recliner seats. Each seat appears to have a large IFE screen in the headrest.
“We got the widest and largest seats that you can put on this plane,” Jim Nolan, Gillette Stadium COO, said in the video. “We’ve added five inches of leg room beyond what a typical first-class seat has.” TPG might disagree with Nolan, since lie-flat seats exist on similar aircraft — or what about the Etihad Residence?
Nolan added that the team didn’t go with narrowbody aircraft because they “don’t have the amount of seats or the amount of capacity underneath the plane to handle the number of people we travel [with] or the amount of equipment we travel [with].”
The 767 has been dubbed the ‘Airkraft’ as a nod to the Patriots’ owner, Robert K. Kraft. According to Patriots president Jonathan Kraft, the two jets will be based out of T.F. Green Airport — about a 33-mile drive from Gillette Stadium.
The Airkraft flew its inaugural flight on Wednesday, from Providence (PVD) to Tampa (TPA) where the Patriots will face off with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday.
Seats appear to be adorned with headrest displaying certain players numbers. Tom Brady’s number 12 and Matthew Slater’s number 18 are on two of the seats. The aircraft’s tail also is painted with the team’s five Super Bowl trophies, although it appears that there isn’t much room to add any more.
The second 767 has yet to be shown and will reportedly be used as a backup for the team.
Featured Image by Boston Globe contributor/Getty Images.
Know before you go.
News and deals straight to your inbox every day.
With great travel benefits, 2x points on travel & dining and a 50,000 point sign up bonus, the Chase Sapphire Preferred is a great card for those looking to get into the points and miles game. Here are the top 5 reasons it should be in your wallet, or read our definitive review for more details.
- Earn 50,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $625 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
- Chase Sapphire Preferred named "Best Credit Card for Flexible Travel Redemption" - Kiplinger's Personal Finance, June 2018
- 2X points on travel and dining at restaurants worldwide & 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
- No foreign transaction fees
- 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
- Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards. For example, 50,000 points are worth $625 toward travel
- No blackout dates or travel restrictions - as long as there's a seat on the flight, you can book it through Chase Ultimate Rewards
Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
Disclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
