The New England Patriots are the first NFL team to buy their own planes

Photo: New England Patriots/Twitter

The New England Patriots have made plenty of history on the field including last year's unbeliveable comeback win in Super Bowl LI against the Atlanta Falcons. However, their latest history making move doesn't have anything to do with their actual play on the field. 

According to ESPN, the Patriots have bought two 767 Boeing wide-body jets, making them the first NFL team to buy their own planes and forgo chartered flights. One of the planes will serve as their primary source of travel to road games while the other will be a back up. 

In a effort to make flights as comfortable as possible for players and staff, they retrofitted the planes with all first-class seating including seats that fully recline.  They also made changes to the exterior of the planes, painting the team logo on the body and five Lombardi trophies on the tail. The way the Patriots are looking on paper this year, it probably would have been wise for them to leave space for one more trophy, right? 

It's unknown how much they bought the planes for, but it's estimated these type of planes cost between $5 million and $65 million each. Although a hefty price, teams investing in their own planes may be the way to go.  The cost of chartered flights are increasing and can be as much as $4 million for 10-round trip flights per a season. In addition, airlines like American and Delta have notified several NFL teams that they no longer will fly them due to the airlines retiring their larger planes. 

Don't be surprised if a team or two takes a page out of the Patriots' book and purchase their own planes for trave next season. Perhaps Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys? 

New airkrafts. pic.twitter.com/Af2gI3G0vQ

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) August 9, 2017