Even the Green Bay Packers were hit with travel woes this week. Their charter plane, carrying future stars on and off the court, would go on to be delayed more than five hours before eventually departing for Phoenix. The team expects to be on a flight out Friday afternoon. They’ll play the Arizona Cardinals in Phoenix on Sunday.
Initially, the Packers planned for their staff plane to leave at 1:15 p.m. CT, which it did without any issues. However, the second plane, meant to transport the players and coaches, was scheduled for a 1:30 p.m. CT departure but encountered problems that were discovered late in the process. This unfortunate problem forced the replacement of the aircraft, needing a new plane flown in from Detroit.
As the situation unfolded, the delay escalated, ultimately pushing back the scheduled takeoff from Green Bay to 7:05 p.m. CT. The players and coaches were set to land in Phoenix at approximately 8:32 p.m. local time. The delay added over five hours and fourteen minutes to their expected arrival time.
Additionally, the Packers fly on two chartered planes when traveling. This approach increases productivity and works to include all of your project team members. The quick departure of the staff plane only magnified the 45-minute late departure of the team’s main plane.
This latest incident shines a light on the real-life travel challenges sports teams regularly endure, particularly during short-turnaround scenarios in the days preceding must-win contests. The Packers are already putting that defeat behind them and looking to the Cardinals. They’re passionate about their Tigers and they’re getting ready for a showdown of epic proportions this Sunday.
Rob Demovsky covered these ongoing developments for ESPN, giving surprising behind-the-scenes detail on how a logistical hurdle of this scale can affect an NFL franchise.
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