I'm not surprised the Patriots bought their own planes. It's a very Patriots thing to do. And this time, I mean that as the highest complement. Because it's smart thinking like this that is yet another example of why they're the best-run organization in all of sports. This also proves that it's not really that close, either. The Patriots are head-and-shoulders above the other 122 teams in the four major sports.
Sure, they have Bradicheck, and those two have been a big reason for the Patriots' success over the past 15 years. But they don't deserve all the credit. Not by a long shot. Because Robert Kraft is always one step ahead. His team stays on top because of savvy moves like this one. And it really was genius. The only thing that surprised me about it was that no one had thought of it until now.
Yes, there are plenty of team owners that have private planes, but those are for personal use. They aren't intended for transporting the entire team (plus staff and equipment) to and from away games. Nor are they anywhere near big enough.
Although, you know that the Patriots won't be the only ones with their own planes for long. I think it's safe to assume that Jerry Jones was on the phone immediately after he heard the news and we'll see an even bigger plane (everything IS bigger in Texas after all) with a big blue star on the tail by this time next season. And the other well-run organizations (such as the Steelers, Packers, Giants, Seahawks, Falcons and Panthers, to name a few) will likely follow suit, as well.
Other franchises will almost have to respond. Because the Patriots have found yet another way to give themselves a leg up on their competition. One of the reasons mentioned as to why Kraft was interested in making the purchase was because it can help aid in recovery by setting up some sort of custom in-flight training room. In addition to the fully-reclining seats and everything else. Imagine how much easier it will be for the Patriots to sell themselves to free agents. If you're considering two teams, one has all these amenities and the other doesn't, which one are you gonna choose?
In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to see some baseball teams making a similar investment. Especially since baseball teams travel much more frequently than football teams (26 road trips a year as opposed to 10). Don't be if we start seeing some major college programs (*cough* Alabama *cough*) flying around the country in their own branded aircrafts pretty soon, either. (Many college programs already have their own buses, so it's not really that big of a stretch to expand that to planes, especially with the mentality of some of these football programs.)
Financially, this makes an awful lot of sense, too. It costs NFL teams roughly $4 million per season for their charter flights (I wouldn't be surprised it was higher for the West Coast teams). Planes like the ones the Patriots just purchased generally cost between $5 million and $65 million, but new ones could go for as much as $200 million. I'm assuming the Patriots didn't buy used, so let's say they spent $400 million for the two planes. Yes, that's a lot of money upfront, but it's going to recoup itself in plenty of time.
Now consider this--it's not only getting more and more expensive to charter a plane the size an NFL team would need, those planes are becoming harder and harder to come by. A number of commercial airlines have retired those large planes in recent years, primarily because the maintenance has become cost-prohibitive. As a result, a number of teams have had to find new charter companies that can accommodate them--and they probably have to pay more, too.
So, considering all the benefits, the cost of purchasing your own team plane certainly seems worth it. Especially since they'll be able to make some money back by renting out the plane. I'm not saying they'll break even, but it definitely wouldn't be a total loss.
The Patriots obviously now have to assume all the maintenance costs that they otherwise wouldn't have had to worry about, but I think they'll probably find the trade-off is well worth it. Because they just made the traveling part of road games so much easier. As if they needed another advantage. So is life for the best-run organization in professional sports.
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