Qantas plane carrying NFL stars to Australia loaded with 2,000 meals

A special Qantas charter flight has touched down in Melbourne carrying an entire football team and enough food that some needed to be stowed in the overhead lockers.

The Los Angeles Rams arrived in Australia on Thursday, ahead of Friday’s NFL game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the first regular season game the league has played in Australia.

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Qantas also flew the San Francisco 49ers to Melbourne last week, with both teams travelling on A380s from Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Each charter covered around 12,900 kilometres with four pilots, 22 cabin crew and one travelling charter manager on board.

Between them, the two flights carried over 20 tonnes of equipment, but it was the catering that really stood out.

Over 2,000 meals were loaded in total. The meal plan was built around what an NFL team eats, with menus developed alongside each team’s nutrition staff.

There was more protein loaded onboard than almost any other Qantas flight.

Steak sandwiches came with extra steak, along with double portions of cheeseburgers, other meats and sides.

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“As Official Airline Partner of the NFL in Australia and New Zealand, our teams have spent months working with the clubs to make the flight part of the experience,” Qantas Group Chief Brand and Corporate Affairs Officer Danielle Keighery said.

“For many of the athletes and staff this is their first visit to Australia, and we wanted to give them a taste of the country from the moment they stepped on board.”

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Qantas said it saw bookings from the United States to Australia rise 50 per cent year-on-year in the fortnight leading into the game.

Demand from New Zealand into Melbourne is also up more than 30 per cent during game week, with travel into Melbourne overall seeing an increase of more than 10 per cent over the same period.

“Australians love major sporting events and there is enormous excitement as Melbourne prepares to host one of the biggest sporting events in the world,” Danielle said.

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