KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs boarded a special airplane late Thursday and early Friday morning for their ride across the Atlantic Ocean to Frankfurt, Germany.
The team is set to play the Miami Dolphins at 8:30 a.m. Sunday from Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt.
LINK | How to watch Chiefs vs Dolphins in NFL Germany game
While the Dolphins arrived much earlier this week, Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said his club was approaching the game as a road game, even if the trip was a little bit longer than normal.
The team boarded a Virgin Atlantic Airbus A350-1000, nicknamed “Rosie Lee” and took off just before 8 p.m. Thursday from Kansas City International Airport.
Nearly eight hours and nearly 5,000 miles later, the team arrived at Frankfurt International Airport just before 10 a.m. local time.
The Chiefs normally fly a Boeing 777-200 to get to road games in the United States. The Dolphins flew on a Boeing 747-400 to get from Fort Lauderdale International Airport to Frankfurt.
Photos of Kansas City Chiefs Charter Aircraft to Germany Arriving - Airbus A350-1000 pic.twitter.com/LL0oH4Dwlx
— Kansas City International Airport (@Fly_KansasCity) November 3, 2023
Reid was among those who spoke to reporters around 5 p.m. local time (11 a.m. in Kansas City) after the team conducted a practice Friday afternoon.
“Every team is different in how they go about it,” Reid said. “The Dolphins came over earlier because they believe in it."
He continued, “The only reason that we came over today, or yesterday - which ended up being today - is that I’ve done that a couple different times and the guys seem to respond to it.”
“The plane ride was amazing,” Chiefs defensive lineman Chris Jones said Friday in Frankfurt. “We got to put the coaches in the back of the plane and they let us sit up front and take up all the seats.”
Reid said staying hydrated and getting some rest during the flight would be key for the team’s performance.
The aircraft itself might have helped too. The A350-1000 was built using composite materials that allow pilots to set the cabin pressure at a lower altitude.
Instead of creating an altitude inside the cabin of 8,000 feet like older aircraft, the A350 allows pilots to set the cabin altitude as low as 5,500. That combined with the aircraft being quieter can give passengers a more pleasant experience that limits jet lag.
“We had a really nice plane setup,” Chiefs place kicker Harrison Butker said. “I think a lot of us got some good sleep.”
Join KSHB 41 for live coverage of the game all Sunday morning. Our pregame coverage starts at 6 a.m., with live reports from around Kansas City and Frankfurt. Then stick around for kickoff at 8:30 a.m., also on KSHB 41.
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