Summary Charter flights are exclusive sectors flown by airlines with different plane configurations. Sports teams negotiate charter packages with airlines, using various plane sizes. Charter flights usually depart from FBOs and can be identified by distinct flight numbers.
Growing up as an avid American sports fan, I wondered about the details behind how teams travel between cities. Like many people, I assumed that sports teams rented planes or had deals with particular airlines to transport them during the season. Fast-forward to the present day, and I know that my childhood supposition wasn't too far from the truth, having now flown a few charter sectors as an airline pilot.
This article will discuss charter operations and how they differ from passenger operations when conducted by airlines. What is charter flying? A charter flight is an online sector flown by an airline using one of its planes, pilots , and crew. Two main differences exist between charters and regular revenue flights: Charter sectors are not publicly available for purchase, nor are they typically city pairs that the airline serves regularly.
A charter flight can carry, among others: Business people Politicians Musicians Soldiers Sports teams Every sports team has a logistics management team that liaises with different airlines. They negotiate availability and pricing packages once the upcoming season's schedule has been announced. However, many teams (MLB baseball, NHL Hockey, NFL football, and WNBA/NBA ba.