Qantas charters NFL teams to Melbourne ahead of historic first game

The Los Angeles Rams have touched down in Melbourne on a Qantas charter flight ahead of Friday's NFL game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the first regular season game the league has played in Australia. 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 and enough catering that some of it was stowed in the overhead lockers, with over 2,000 meals loaded in total.

Catering was built around what an NFL team eats, with menus developed alongside each team's nutrition staff and more protein loaded than almost any other Qantas flight. Steak sandwiches came with extra steak, along with double portions of cheeseburgers, other meats and sides.

As Official Airline Partner of the NFL in Australia and New Zealand and of the 2026 NFL Melbourne Game, Qantas has seen 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 up more than 30 per cent during game week, with travel into Melbourne from all markets seeing an increase of more than 10 per cent over the same period.

Qantas produced special themed pyjamas in each team's colours for the charters, with customers on select services from Los Angeles and San Franciso also surprised with the limited-edition pyjamas at the boarding gates. The Flying Kangaroo operates up to 40 flights a week between Australia and the United States, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York via Auckland and Dallas.

Qantas Group Chief Brand and Corporate Affairs Officer Danielle Keighery stated: "Australians love major sporting events and there is enormous excitement as Melbourne prepares to host one of the biggest sporting events in the world. 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, from menus designed alongside team nutrition staff to bespoke Qantas pyjamas in each club's colours. 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. We are already seeing that excitement in our bookings, with numbers from the United States up 50 per cent in the lead-up to the game and fans travelling to Melbourne from right across Australia and New Zealand. We are proud to have played a role in bringing this historic game to the MCG."
 
NFL General Manager – Australia and New Zealand, Charlotte Offord commented:“We're incredibly proud to have Qantas as a partner of the NFL Melbourne Game. As the NFL’s official airline in Australia, Qantas has played a vital role in helping bring the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers to Melbourne, as well as ensuring it was a seamless journey for all of our fans travelling to the game."