Photo via ESPN

From plane beds to 'like Spirit': Inside vast disparity of NFL team travel

To launch the 2026 campaign with the NFL's debut regular-season match in Australia, the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers traveled roughly 8,000 miles to Melbourne aboard Qantas Airbus A380 charters. Each flight featured four pilots, 22 attendants, one coordinator, and 84 fully flat berths to grant every athlete a bed.

Such luxury contrasted sharply with the Pittsburgh Steelers' September 2025 trip to Dublin on partner carrier Aer Lingus, which an unnamed athlete likened to the defunct budget operator Spirit due to senior players receiving the only premium seats. The Rams dropped their Melbourne contest against San Francisco after touching down merely 24 hours prior, repeating an arrival strategy that had previously brought them a lopsided win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.

Collective bargaining rules contain no formal travel mandates, leaving clubs complete scheduling freedom as international fixtures reach a historic high of nine in 2026, with an allowance to stage as many as 11 overseas contests including an annual Jaguars showcase at Wembley Stadium. The disparity showed clearly in the NFL Players Association's 2026 report cards, where Miami earned the top grade of A, followed by A-minus marks for New Orleans, Seattle, and Denver, driven by ample legroom and reclining sleep setups.