Patriots Become First NFL Team To Buy Their Own Planes
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Patriots used to travel the same way as every other NFL team, by flying via charter planes owned by other airline companies. Now, they have bought their own planes.
That's planes - plural.
As reported by ESPN's Darren Rovell on Tuesday, the Patriots have bought not one but two Boeing 767 wide-body jets for their own use. At least one of the planes is emblazoned with the team logo on the side and five Lombardi Trophies on the tail.
On Tuesday night, the Patriots confirmed the existence of the planes on Twitter.
One of the planes will be the Patriots' main form of travel for the season, while the other will be a "backup" plane. Each will be available to be rented out during the season when they are not being used for the team. The planes are reportedly "extended range" aircraft, which will allow the team to fly for 12 hours non-stop - which will be useful for flights to London and other overseas locations.
If the planes are brand-new, they may have cost as much as $200 million each. But pre-flown planes generally range from $5-65 million. According to Rovell, the planes were retrofitted with all first-class seats, some of which fully recline.
Rovell cited rising costs of charter flights as one of the main reasons for the Patriots deciding to purchase their own team planes. The team was reportedly interested in the idea that their own planes would "give athletes a leg up on the recovery process".
