The National Football League (NFL) has become the most popular sports league in the United States, and one of the most global sports leagues in the world. The league was first founded as the American Professional Football Conference in 1920 with just fourteen teams.

However, since then, the league has grown to 32 different teams spread across the United States. Roger Goodell, the Commissioner of the NFL, has helped the league generate the most revenue of any sports league. This is mostly due to its countless television deals with major partners, including CBS, Fox, NBC, and ESPN, among others.

In 2023, the NFL generated the most revenue of any sports league in the world. It recorded over $20 billion in total revenue, surpassing the National Basketball Association (NBA), Major League Baseball (MLB), and the Premier League (PL). This generated over $735 million for each of its 32 teams. It also held 285 total events, including the NFL playoffs, meaning that it recorded a revenue over $80 million per game played in the 2023 season.

Because of the extreme amount of money that is used by the league year-over-year, it is no wonder that the majority of teams fly their players, personnel, and coaching staff to each game on chartered flights. Several teams, like the New England Patriots and the Arizona Cardinals, even own and operate their own fleet of aircraft for transporting the large number of staff involved on each game day.

However, just about every other team operates their charter flight from an airport near their home city, which is typically large metropolitan areas. Let's take a closer look at some of the airports that the most prominent NFL teams fly out of in order to travel the country for their next game.

5 New England Patriots

Airport used: Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport (PVD) in Providence, Rhode Island

The New England Patriots have become one of the most storied franchises in the NFL over the last 25 years. The team was established in November 1959, 65 years ago, in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Currently, the team is a part of the American Football Conference (AFC) and plays in Gillette Stadium. Originally founded as the Boston Patriots, the team became the New England Patriots to include the greater Boston area and encompass several smaller states into its large fanbase.

Since then, the team has grown rapidly and found great success in the NFL. The team has won eleven different AFC conference championships and 22 different division championships. It has also won six Super Bowl titles, in 2001, 2003, 2004, 2014, 2016, and 2018, which is tied for the most Super Bowl wins in the NFL. The team is often regarded as one of the greatest sports dynasties in the world.

Because of this, the team has grown to become the third-most valuable sports team in the world, and it is currently valued at over $7 billion. It is no wonder that the New England Patriots have become one of the two NFL teams to operate their own private fleet of aircraft. Currently, the team flies two Boeing 767s, which are registered as N36NE and N225NE. These were originally operated by American Airlines in the early 1990s. However, according to ch-aviation, the owner of the Patriots, Robert Kraft, acquired the two aircraft in December 2017. These aircraft are used to transport the Patriots roster and staff to each away game around the United States.

Kraft and the Patriots use TF Green International Airport (PVD) in Rhode Island instead of Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) in Boston, Massachusetts. The Providence airport is roughly the same distance to Gillette Stadium compared to Boston, yet the traffic is much calmer in the Providence area. This means it is much quicker to get to TF Green from the stadium and the team's headquarters.

4 San Francisco 49ers

Airport used: San Jose International Airport (SJC) in San Jose, California

The San Francisco 49ers are another storied franchise in the NFL. The team was first established in June 1944, over 80 years ago. Since then, the team has become one of the most successful teams in the NFL, recording five different Super Bowl Championships, eight NFC Conference Championships, and 22 Division Championships. The team also has the record for most playoff wins in NFL history.

Due to the team's success on the field, it is no wonder that the 49ers are one of the most valuable sports franchises in the world. According to Forbes, the 49ers are valued at just under $7 billion, making them the sixth most valuable team in the NFL.

The team is named after San Francisco, although the team is specifically located in Santa Clara. This city is part of the metro-area of nearby San Jose, and is located over an hour from downtown San Francisco. Because of this unique location arrangement, it is no wonder that the team flies out of San Jose International Airport instead of San Francisco International Airport (SFO) as its name states.

3 Buffalo Bills

Airport used: Niagara Falls International Airport (IAG) in Niagara Falls, New York

The Buffalo Bills are another NFL team that was founded in the 1960s, over 65 years ago. The team plays in the AFC, but only found success on the field prior to the AFL-NFL merger, as it won two championships in 1964 and 1965. Besides that, the Buffalo Bills won four Conference Championships from 1990 through 1993, losing all four Super Bowls.

The team, however, has been mounting toward success in recent years, with Division Championships over the last five years. Even so, the team is still valued at over $5.6 billion. Additionally, the Bills do not fly their chartered flights from the local Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF). Instead, the Bills operate from Niagara Falls International Airport (IAG), which is about 20 minutes further north than Buffalo Niagara.

2 Miami Dolphins

Airport used: Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

The Miami Dolphins were first established in August 1965, over 59 years ago. Since then, the Dolphins have become one of the most notable teams in the NFL, mostly due to their unique aqua and orange colored uniforms. The team has found success in the NFL, especially in the early years of the league. The Dolphins have achieved two Super Bowl Championships, five AFC Conference Championships, and 25 total playoff appearances.

Additionally, the Dolphins have been valued at approximately $8.1 billion due to recent investments over the past year. Specifically, the Dolphins are headquartered near Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. It is at the far northern end of Miami and is closer to downtown Fort Lauderdale than downtown Miami. Because of this, the Dolphins fly out of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport instead of Miami International Airport (MIA).

1 Arizona Cardinals

Airport used: Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) in Phoenix, Arizona

One of the oldest franchises in the NFL is the Arizona Cardinals. It was first established as the Morgan Athletic Club in 1898, but has since moved to several cities around the US since it was founded. However, the Arizona Cardinals have not found success in recent years. It has only one Super Bowl appearance, in 2008, since the NFL was founded. The franchise also has only eleven playoff appearances.

Even so, the Arizona Cardinals are valued at approximately $4.3 billion, which falls on the lower end of NFL franchises. The team plays at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. However, the team is officially headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, which is on the other side of the Phoenix-metro area. However, due to the team's headquarters in Tempe, it is no wonder that the team chooses to operate from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), which is just a few blocks away from downtown Tempe.

Additionally, the Arizona Cardinals are one of the two franchises, alongside the New England Patriots, to operate their own fleet of private jets. The owner of the Arizona Cardinals, Michael Bidwell, founded Gridiron Air in June 2021 as a charter airline focused on serving professional and amateur sports teams across the world. Because of this, the Cardinals operate several of the aircraft owned by Gridiron Air, both of which are 👁 Image
Boeing 777s.

The two large aircraft are registered as N7777AZ and N860DA. Both of these are owned by Gridiron Air and operated on a wet lease basis for the Arizona Cardinals. Both of these popular business jets were formerly operated by 👁 Image
Delta Air Lines. The aircraft in question has a seating capacity of 288, with 166 of those seats oversized for comfort. That includes 28 first-class pods with seats that lie down, along with 48 business-class seats.