The Los Angeles Dodgers returned to Los Angeles International Airport as the 2024 World Series champions.
The World Series champion Dodgers are back in Los Angeles — thanks in part, in a way, to the New England Patriots.
The NFL team appeared to have provided an assist to the MLB team, who flew in a Patriots-branded plane with the Commissioner's Trophy they just won by beating the New York Yankees in Game 5 of the Fall Classic Wednesday night.
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Cameras were rolling at Los Angeles International Airport as the team stepped off the plane, known as AirKraft, with the trophy in hand. Another plane, though one without a pro sports team's branding, was part of the trip back to L.A., as well. Watch their arrival in the video atop this story.
Some fans speculated that it was a bit of trolling on the Dodgers' and Patriots' parts, as the Yankees are New England's biggest baseball rival.
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But the Patriots responded to NBC10 Boston's question about how their plane ended up shuttling the World Series champs, and there's a more mundane answer.
There are actually two Patriots planes, both 767s, and they're available for chartering through a partnership the team has with private flight provider Omni Air International. The Patriots-branded planes are also used for humanitarian missions, like flying 1.7 million N95 masks from China to Boston early in the coronavirus pandemic.
That appears to have been what happened in this case, according to the Patriots — when the team isn't using the planes, they can be chartered out. It wasn't clear to the Patriots if the Dodgers specifically requested their plane or if it was just a coincidence.
NBC Los Angeles has reached out to the Dodgers, who were also readying for their championship parade Friday. A representative for Omni Air International couldn't share details about customers or how they pick planes.
"Omni Air International is renowned for delivering industry-leading service, and the Patriots' aircraft cabin layout offers a highly desirable air charter solution for a wide range of clients," Omni representative Kym Parks said in an email.
With the Patriots 2-6 on the year so far, this is looking like the only chance AirKraft has to haul a championship trophy this year.
