The Arizona Cardinals have just acquired a private jet to transport players and staff to away games, instead of relying on charter contracts.
The ArizonaCardinals are flying a plane.
You can track the plane's movement at this link, as the Arizona Cards have acquired a Boeing 777-200ER. This aircraft flew for Delta Air Lines for nearly two decades after entering service in 2002. Delta retired most of its Boeing 777 fleet, and I thought that most of the planes would fly again with an operator.
This plane will be used for the first time this weekend by the Arizona Cardinals as they travel to play the Detroit Lions. The plane's range is just a small fraction of the flight's distance.
Michael Bidwill is the owner of the Arizona Cardinals.
Every time we travel for a game, it is a major undertaking. This aircraft will provide convenience and comfort to our players when they travel to and from road games. We think this will provide an advantage to every team in the league.
The Arizona Cardinals are the second team in the league to own a private jet. The New England Patriots had two Boeing 767s. I think it is safe to say that the Arizona Cardinals have the best private jet in the NFL, because the Boeing snoozing is a much larger and more modern aircraft.
How much will the Arizona Cardinals fly this plane? The team has traveled over 100,000 air miles over the past five years, so it is an average of 22,000 miles per year. A jet like this will fly an average of 44 hours per year for these purposes, which is very light for a jet like this. It is possible that the plane may be used for other flights as well.
The ArizonaCardinals are on a Boeing plane.
What is the inside of the Arizona Cardinals Boeing 777?
The Arizona Cards have a Boeing 777 with 288 seats and three cabins. It would appear that the team has kept the same interiors as they were when Delta flew it. We know what the cabins look like because the team hasn't released any pictures.
There are 28 business class seats on the Boeing 777s, which are fully flat, have privacy doors, and are in a 1-2-1 configuration.
The business class of the Boeing plane.
48 premium economy seats are in a 2-4-2 configuration. These feature more space than the economy does.
The premium economy of Delta is the Boeing 777-200ER.
The economy class seats are in a 3-3-3 configuration. This configuration is noticeably more spacious than the one on many airlines, which has 10 seats per row.
I don't know what the economics are like.
The economics of having a private jet for the Arizona Cardinals are unknown.
The majority of the teams in the National Football League travel by charter planes. Chartering planes has higher operating costs.
When the plane has to fly empty to or from a hub airport, the team would get charged.
The airline has to make money on the charter.
The Arizona Cardinals can now fly their jet around as needed. There are some costs and challenges associated with that.
The team only flies 20,000 miles a year, and they need to have their own crews, which isn't as efficient as how airlines staff planes.
I think that this plane was acquired for less than a tenth of the list price of a new Boeing 777, because the planes depreciate a lot when they are used.
If there are issues with the team's own plane, there isn't a second plane that can be used, and that is something that an airline can offer as part of a charter agreement.
This is a nice luxury to have, and I am sure the team loves it. There is a lot of value to that, since the teams want to keep their talent.
The bottom line.
This is the second team in the NFL to have a private jet, the Arizona Cardinals have acquired their own Boeing 777. The jet was retired during the Pandemic and was nearly 20 years old.
The interior of the plane has not been changed, so that is a good sign for the short flights that this plane will be used for.
What do you think about the Arizona Cardinals?
The tip of the hat to Mike and Woodrow.
