Richiemo From United States of America, joined Jul 2008, 195 posts, RR: 0 Reply 2, posted (4 years 4 months 1 week 7 hours ago) and read 6014 times:
Question (if anyone knows). When a pro team charters a flight, does the plane go "as is" or do they take out rows of seats. Hard time imagining those giants cramming into a coach seat, and they all can't fly first class.
Nwaesc From United States of America, joined Aug 2007, 3324 posts, RR: 9 Reply 3, posted (4 years 4 months 1 week 7 hours ago) and read 5970 times:
Quoting Richiemo (Reply 2): Question (if anyone knows). When a pro team charters a flight, does the plane go "as is" or do they take out rows of seats. Hard time imagining those giants cramming into a coach seat, and they all can't fly first class.
It goes "as is."
I can't speak for NFL teams, but I know for the collegiate ones on NW, the coaches and "star" players (QB, etc.) sit upfront. For coach class they usually leave the center seat open for upperclassmen and/or linemen, and then everyone else just has to deal...
"Nothing ever happens here, " I said. "I just wait."
B727LVR From United States of America, joined Jul 2008, 628 posts, RR: 0 Reply 4, posted (4 years 4 months 1 week 7 hours ago) and read 5923 times:
Thats why, I think, chater airlines were the best choices. They always have aircraft configured in full first class seating. The biggest problem with them is they don't have names such as North West, Delta, or American Airlines. Nothing against these names, but they just aren't a popular sounding as World, Xtra, Miami Air, or even Key Lime Air... Granted some of them aren't as big as the carriers, but working for a charter airline that needs trips like these, it hurts when the big carriers get them...
I'm like a kid in a candy store when it comes to planes!
71Zulu From United States of America, joined Aug 2006, 2736 posts, RR: 0 Reply 5, posted (4 years 4 months 1 week 7 hours ago) and read 5890 times:
Quoting Burnsie28 (Reply 1): The Eagles used to fly NW exclusively. Maybe they are realizing what they used to have.
US 752 or NW 330? Yeah it's a no brainer.
Quoting Richiemo (Reply 2): Question (if anyone knows). When a pro team charters a flight, does the plane go "as is" or do they take out rows of seats. Hard time imagining those giants cramming into a coach seat, and they all can't fly first class.
The planes go as is. It's set up that each player gets 1.5 seats so they make due in coach with nobody in a middle seat. They like the 763 and 330 since players can get a group of 2 seats to themselves.
The NBA has a deal with NW and there is a subfleet of 319s that are equipped with 56 first class seats. You couldn't do that with the NFL since the traveling party is usually around 150-180 pax.
Quoting B727LVR (Reply 4): Thats why, I think, charter airlines were the best choices. They always have aircraft configured in full first class seating. The biggest problem with them is they don't have names such as North West, Delta, or American Airlines. Nothing against these names, but they just aren't a popular sounding as World, Xtra, Miami Air, or even Key Lime Air... Granted some of them aren't as big as the carriers, but working for a charter airline that needs trips like these, it hurts when the big carriers get them...
Last time for the charter companies in the NFL was 2006 when the Jaguars were on a World MD-11. Not sure which one they used but I think they had one with 180 seats and that would have been awesome for the NFL. The Seahawks in 06 also used one of Paul Allen's 752's but not sure how it was configured.
B727LVR From United States of America, joined Jul 2008, 628 posts, RR: 0 Reply 6, posted (4 years 4 months 1 week 6 hours ago) and read 5838 times:
Quoting 71Zulu (Reply 5): Last time for the charter companies in the NFL was 2006 when the Jaguars were on a World MD-11. Not sure which one they used but I think they had one with 180 seats and that would have been awesome for the NFL. The Seahawks in 06 also used one of Paul Allen's 752's but not sure how it was configured.
WOW.... A 180seat MD-11 would be awesome!! I don't know what I wuld do with that much room. I'm sure Paul Allens 757 was a classy as it could be. He had some gorgeous aircraft.
I'm like a kid in a candy store when it comes to planes!
WorldTraveler From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 7, posted (4 years 4 months 1 week 6 hours ago) and read 5729 times:
NW has done a very good job of going after charter business, something DL will add to its charter repertoire. DL and NW, IIRC, are the top 2 US carriers for sports charters.
I would bet the MLB can be persuaded to put some of their teams on the 319s in return for giving NW/DL some of their business; MLB entourages are not large and they usually travel late in the evening making a premium product all the more valuable.
Usairways85 From United States of America, joined Nov 2001, 3098 posts, RR: 8 Reply 8, posted (4 years 4 months 1 week 2 hours ago) and read 5497 times:
I thought one of the reasons NW hasn't been the main provider of charter services as they were several years ago is the fact that they have retired many of the aircraft used for this purpose. The DC10's are gone, the 742's are pretty much gone, and the 727's are gone. If I am not mistaken they were the workhorses for the NW sports charters.
Also a regular NFL game US can probably suffice flying the team, but US does not have the extra widebodies NW and DL have to provide one for a game that warrants more capacity
Michman From United States of America, joined Dec 2006, 327 posts, RR: 0 Reply 9, posted (4 years 4 months 1 week 1 hour ago) and read 5374 times:
Quoting WorldTraveler (Reply 7): I would bet the MLB can be persuaded to put some of their teams on the 319s in return for giving NW/DL some of their business; MLB entourages are not large and they usually travel late in the evening making a premium product all the more valuable.
Um, not likely. I'm pretty sure those 319's are put back in the normal pax configuration for the busy summer months. It just so happens that the NBA season corresponds with the airline slow season. Not true of MLB.
Packcheer From United States of America, joined Nov 2008, 323 posts, RR: 0 Reply 10, posted (4 years 4 months 1 week ago) and read 5257 times:
The school i go to uses Delta 757's for our charter flights. The players sit 2 players in every row of 3. I think (not positive, but I heard this somewhere) that the NCAA required the teams to allow for 1.5 seats/player on charters. The coaching staff are the only people in the first class section. Behind the players sit the medical staff, behind them sits the equipment staff. then the last few rows are the radio/sports marketing staff that travel with us, some of the big boosters that travel with the team, then a few local media people (news camera crew and sports reporter, newspaper writer), and the last 3 rows on each side are us, the cheerleaders.
PSU.DTW.SCE From United States of America, joined Jan 2002, 6874 posts, RR: 29 Reply 11, posted (4 years 4 months 1 week ago) and read 5205 times:
Quoting B727LVR (Reply 4): Granted some of them aren't as big as the carriers, but working for a charter airline that needs trips like these, it hurts when the big carriers get them...
Quoting 71Zulu (Reply 5): Last time for the charter companies in the NFL was 2006 when the Jaguars were on a World MD-11. Not sure which one they used but I think they had one with 180 seats and that would have been awesome for the NFL. The Seahawks in 06 also used one of Paul Allen's 752's but not sure how it was configured.
NFL teams generally don't use charter airlines simply because they don't have the aircraft and resources available for their needs. NFL teams rarely travel in anything less than a 757. There are not many capable charter airlines with availability of 757, 767, A330 type aircraft. Even more so, since NFL teams need charters all on the same days of the week. Its also not cost-effective to put widebodies in a special low density configuration when they are only going to be used one/two days a week.
Quoting Usairways85 (Reply 8): I thought one of the reasons NW hasn't been the main provider of charter services as they were several years ago is the fact that they have retired many of the aircraft used for this purpose. The DC10's are gone, the 742's are pretty much gone, and the 727's are gone. If I am not mistaken they were the workhorses for the NW sports charters.
Also a regular NFL game US can probably suffice flying the team, but US does not have the extra widebodies NW and DL have to provide one for a game that warrants more capacity
Partially true. The only segment they really abandoned was the NBA & NHL charters. NW continued and actually expanded its charter work with the NFL and College Football teams in recent years, simply because they could use aircraft in their regular fleet.
College FB teams mostly use A319 & A320s, occasionally a 752. The NFL charters are planned to use a 752/753 (depending on which is available). They are allowed an upgrade to an A330 or 744 for one game, and can pay to upgrade to a larger aircraft whenever they want. They usually use the A330 or 744 on to their farther-away road games, like West Coast games for East Coast teams.
When NW retired the 727's in 2003 and ended the dedicated sport-charter fleet, Champion picked up a number of the teams. However, last season the NBA put Champion on notice and said they needed to get newer, more reliable aircraft or the NBA would not renew their contract. Teams were tired of maintenance issues plaguing the aging 727 fleet along with the noise factor of the aircraft.
NW won the NBA contract starting for this season using a dedicated fleet of A319's. I don't know if any NHL teams are using NW this season.
NW still has 2 pax 742 used exclusively for charters, mostly military work though.
Quoting WorldTraveler (Reply 7): I would bet the MLB can be persuaded to put some of their teams on the 319s in return for giving NW/DL some of their business; MLB entourages are not large and they usually travel late in the evening making a premium product all the more valuable.
Quoting Michman (Reply 9): Um, not likely. I'm pretty sure those 319's are put back in the normal pax configuration for the busy summer months. It just so happens that the NBA season corresponds with the airline slow season. Not true of MLB.
NW hasn't done a lot of work with MLB but it is very possible they may now in the future. Also a lot of MLB teams have their own planes.
Michman is correct in his statement in the past, however going forward NW/DL will have ample available aircraft if they wanted to leave the sub-fleet of A319s in sports charter configuration year-round.
In the past two years, NW actually sold a number of A319s to foreign airlines, in addition to creating the sports charter fleet once again. They actually using the DC-9-50 to offset lost A319 capacity (on shorter routes).
PSU.DTW.SCE From United States of America, joined Jan 2002, 6874 posts, RR: 29 Reply 13, posted (4 years 4 months 6 days 23 hours ago) and read 4619 times:
I can only think of a handful of times that the Tigers flew on NW as they try to avoid using anyone other than their own plane.
There have been a few direct conflicts last year when the Red Wings were in the playoffs and the Tigers were on the road, both needing to fly on the same night - obviously the Wings got priority during the Stanley Cup run.
I think the Tigers used NW a few times when they were in the playoffs in 2006. I thought they were using a larger aircraft than the team D95.
Also a few times the DC-9-50 had mechanical issues and they called up NW (or when the team plane got stuck in the mud on a taxiway in St. Louis)
KingAir200 From United States of America, joined May 2006, 1579 posts, RR: 2 Reply 14, posted (4 years 4 months 6 days 15 hours ago) and read 2580 times:
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From United States of America, joined Aug 2006, 2736 posts, 
US 752 or NW 330? Yeah it's a no brainer. 
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