When arriving at Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport (PVD) in Providence late in the evening, one is often greeted by a surprise on the runway. At this small airport that is served exclusively by narrowbody aircraft (and most of these are small regional jets), one will often see a pair of massive Boeing 767-300 aircraft sitting on the runway.
One of the best opportunities to see these jets is upon arrival at T. F. Green when one is flying onboard Delta Air Lines Flight 5492, a nightly Embraer CRJ900 flight from LaGuardia Airport (LGA) in New York City, a service which, fascinatingly enough, is set to be canceled in just a few weeks. Regardless, this flight, which typically arrives at Gate 18, typically taxis directly in front of the area where the 767-300 aircraft are parked overnight.
These massive aircraft, which seem rather out of place at an otherwise small airport, immediately stand out. Simply looking at them immediately tells you who their owner is and what their purpose serves. These Boeing 767-300 aircraft boldly wear New England Patriots livery, as they are owned by the football team and used by the franchise to transport players and personnel across the country throughout a 17-week season.
Furthermore, these aircraft are often used for humanitarian missions, and other sports teams have also been known to catch rides on these jets at times, with the Los Angeles Dodgers using one aircraft to fly back from New York City after defeating the Yankees in the 2024 World Series. The interesting question, however, is why the Patriots use this smaller airport as opposed to the larger facility at Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), which might seem more intuitive for the Massachusetts-based franchise. Let’s take a deeper look at why the Patriots chose T. F. Green instead.
Getting to T. F. Green is actually quite a bit easier than getting to Boston Logan
One might be surprised that, from a logistical standpoint, Boston Logan actually makes significantly less sense than T. F. Green as a base for the Patriots’ fleet of private jets. Geographically, this may not be that obvious, as the Patriots’ home stadium, Gillette Stadium, is actually not located in Boston but rather in one of its southern suburbs,
Foxborough. This town is located roughly halfway between Boston and Providence, meaning that geographically, the stadium (and adjacent facilities that are commonly used by the team) is roughly the same distance from both airports. However, it is important to note that to get from Foxborough to Boston Logan, one would need to drive up Interstate 95 and then through the busy center of Boston, an area that is notorious for its traffic.
The Patriots are less likely to get stuck in traffic on their way to T. F. Green than to Logan
T. F. Green Airport, which is located just south of Providence, is located relatively close to the Massachusetts border, and, while also known for its traffic, is likely not as difficult for Patriots team buses and players’ cars to navigate. Around 7 PM on a Saturday, when the Patriots might depart for a Sunday game, Google Maps estimates that it would take around 45 minutes to get from Gillette Stadium to Logan Airport.
Plane prep before tomorrow’s big trip! pic.twitter.com/5UH9orO2gM
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) February 6, 2021
At the same time, a travel time of only 37 minutes is estimated for a journey from Gillette Stadium to T. F. Green, which may not seem like a major difference but can be valuable time saved for a football organization on a tight schedule. From a logistical standpoint, T. F. Green makes a lot more sense for the Patriots’ jets.
T. F. Green itself is also a far more private jet-friendly airport than Logan
There are also multiple arguments to be made that T. F. Green Airport is a significantly better airport for private jets like the Patriots’ 767s than Boston Logan. For starters, Logan is by and large the most congested airport in New England, likely due to its standing as the region’s largest airport and its only true global hub.
Boston Logan has over 1,000 daily flights on average, thanks to the airport serving as a major hub for both Delta Air Lines and JetBlue, according to statistics from Massport. T. F. Green, by contrast, has only 92 daily flights, mostly from Southwest Airlines and Breeze Airways, according to The Providence Journal.
While it may be easy to conclude that Boston Logan is, therefore, ten times as congested as T. F. Green, the difference becomes even more stark when one looks at the different facilities available at each airport:
| Airport: | Number of runways: |
|---|---|
| Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) | 6 |
| Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport (PVD) | 2 |
With multiple runways available, there would rarely be a situation in which New England Patriots aircraft would be waiting more than a couple of minutes for takeoff from T. F. Green. However, the same cannot be said for Boston Logan, where runway delays can be notorious.
One more factor for consideration
It is also important to note that the landing fees and takeoff fees at T. F. Green will also be significantly lower, due to the weaker demand for flights to and from the facility. Even though the Patriots is an extremely valuable organization, these costs would likely still be a factor for consideration.
