Summary
- The Miami Dolphins charter a jumbo jet provided by Atlas Air for their away games, with a consistent crew throughout the season.
- The Boeing 747-400 is prepared with over 10,000 pounds of equipment and supplies loaded onto the aircraft, including a nourishing and tasty meal plan coordinated with the team’s nutritionist.
- The 747 is configured with more business and first-class seats for the team and support personnel, accommodating around 180 people, significantly fewer seats than a standard Jumbo Jet.
As the National Football League (NFL) season kicks off, let’s look at how the Miami Dolphins travel to away games. The team charters a jumbo jet each year to take the team members, coaches, and support staff to their weekly engagements.
The Boeing 747 is registered N322SG and is currently operated by Atlas Air in its “VIP” configuration and previously flew for All Nippon Airways, Oasis Hong Kong Airlines, and Wells Fargo before ending up with the charter carrier. Atlas Air will provide 38 roundtrip flights this football season for the team.
How does a typical day look?
Preparation begins as soon as the NFL game dates are announced, generally in May. The Dolphins’ management sends the requested days to Atlas Air to reserve an aircraft for its road game and prepare for the big season. The flight crew will arrive at Fort Lauderdale Airport five to six hours before the team arrives. The Atlas Air contingent includes catering, logistics, and team representatives coordinating the aircraft’s operations.
The Boeing 747-400 will typically land around three hours in advance to prepare for game day. Over ten thousand pounds of equipment and supplies must be loaded onto the aircraft and declared in the cargo manifest. Bill Grobasky, director of Atlas Air Passenger Charter Sales, expressed his excitement to be working with the legendary team:
“We’ve worked very hard to establish ourselves as a leading provider of VIP charter service.
“We have a relentless focus on quality service and meeting each team’s unique requirements.”
Photo: Atlas Air
Upon arriving on the plane, the team is greeted with a water bottle at each seat, and snack baskets arranged throughout the cabin to ensure no one is hungry as the plane gets ready to depart.
A consistent crew
The team takes advantage of its four-year contract with Atlas Air to ensure the flight crew remains the same for all ten away games. This allows the crew to get accustomed to the team’s needs and wishes each season.
Catering on the plane also significantly exceeds traditional expectations. There are typically four main course options on offer. These generally include a steak, pasta, a special dish, and a salad. A menu seen by Simple Fliying includes the following options for a main course: chicken quesadilla, Philly cheese steak sandwich, Cobb salad, and a classic lasagne. These were served alongside several desserts and an extensive selection of tasty snacks.
Photo: Atlas Air
The team’s nutritionist works with the Atlas Air catering team to develop a nourishing and tasty meal plan for the flights.
Flying in style
The 747 is configured to feature more business and first-class seats for the team and support personnel. The team travels with around 180 people, including 69 players, 30 coaches, 70 support staff, and 10 members of the media. The plane can fit 189 passengers with enough cargo space for five tones of football equipment.
Atlas Air’s 747-400 “VIP” planes feature 26 business class seats on the upper deck, ten first class suites in the nose of the aircraft, 143 business class seats for long-haul flights, 36 economy class seats in the back, and fully-equipped galleys that can cater anything from light snacks or multi-course offerings. This is significantly fewer seats than are found in a standard Jumbo Jet, which can typically hold 416 passengers in a three-class configuration.
The season starts tomorrow, September 10th, at 16:45 ET, when the Dolphins take on the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
