Tennessee Titans Players Express Discomfort With Team Travel

In February, the National Football League (NFL) and the NFL Player Association released their annual "report card" for every team, reflecting how the players perceive their team, management, and facilities. To the surprise of some, the Tennessee Titans reported a score of "F" for team travel, which ranked them 30th in the league. According to reports from the NFL, the team said issues with flying, equality, and difficulties with lodging on-road games.

The biggest gripe reported by team players was regarding flight seating. Reports indicate, "Players are designated to sit in the back of the plane where many players don't fit in the seats, while the staff sit in first class." There are only a few first-class seats compared to the many economy seats at the back of the aircraft. However, some players are well over six feet (1.83 meters) tall and over 300 pounds (136 kilograms), making traditional economy seats uncomfortable and small. Most other teams allow their largest players to be comfortable in their chartered flights' larger, first-class seats.

According to flight records, the Titans chartered a twin-jet, Boeing 767-400, from Delta Air Lines for some road games this past 2023 NFL season. This plane can seat around 200 people, with a breakdown of about 170 standard economy and Delta Comfort+ seats compared to roughly 30 Delta One seats (first class). 

The specifications for the Delta One seat include a pitch of 80 inches (203 centimeters) and a width of 21 inches (53 centimeters). However, the economy seats only boast a pitch of 31 inches (79 centimeters) and a width of 17.9 inches (45.5 centimeters). The seats are much smaller and much closer together, leading to general discomfort. Unlike traditional seats, the Delta One seats can also recline into a flat bed.

Last season, the Tennessee Titans flew for 16,854 miles (27,124 kilometers) across 16 time zones, ranking 19th in the league for distance traveled. This included a game where the Titans flew from the Nashville International Airport (BNA) to London's Heathrow Airport (LHR). This flight was also controversial regarding the travel date, as most teams who play in London arrive for the entire week leading up to the Sunday game, unlike the Titans, which selected to fly on Thursday night, coming Friday morning to prepare for the game. 

Many players reported fatigue and jet lag for the game due to little preparation time to acclimate to the new time zone. The Titans also lost the game to the Baltimore Ravens that week, leading to what can be expected as a very long and quiet return leg. The Titans are among many teams that charter planes. As of the 2023 season, only the New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals have their own aircraft. The Titans will likely change their internal policies as media criticism of the existing policy has grown.