Life as a professional sportsperson is often seen as a nonstop conveyor belt of glory and luxury. However, while this often rings true, our heroes are often more like us than we might think. In recent weeks, this has been evidenced perfectly by the Boston Red Sox Major League Baseball team, who have had to come to terms with various flight delays due to aircraft breakdowns concerning their charter jet,

Last night, the Red Sox were due to depart from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in Southern California after the conclusion of their series on the road against the LA Dodgers. However, a breakdown meant that the jet, a VIP-configured Boeing 757-200, didn’t actually take off until the early hours of the morning. This latest issue highlights the vulnerabilities of Delta’s aging Boeing 757 charter fleet.

A Delayed Departure From LAX

Credit: Great Circle Map

Life on the road has been kind to the Boston Red Sox of late. According to Flightradar24, the team flew out from Boston to Sacramento on July 26, before winning three out of four games against the A’s between July 27 and 30. They then carried on down the West Coast to LA to face the Dodgers, winning all three games from July 31 to August 2. However, their departure from LAX last night was delayed.

Indeed, Flightradar24 shows that, while the team was set to leave LA at 8:35 PM last night on flight DL8879, the 37-year-old 757 operating the flight (N650DL) did not take to the skies until 2:06 AM today. As highlighted on Reddit, Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran took to social media to highlight the situation, saying on Instagram that the “third time’s the charm for our plane to break down again, thanks Delta.”

Simple Flying has reached out to Delta Air Lines for more information regarding this latest breakdown. We will update our coverage upon receiving a statement from the carrier.

Credit: Shuterstock

The “third time” that Duran’s post mentions refers to the fact that last night’s issues represented the third time in recent weeks that the Red Sox have encountered breakdown issues on their Delta Air Lines aircraft. As reported at the time by The Athletic, the first two came in June and July, with the latter even resulting in one of their games against the New York Mets starting late due to their late arrival.

The Red Sox’ bad luck with Delta began on June 24, following a series against the Colorado Rockies in which they only won one of the three games at Coors Field. According to The Athletic, mechanical issues on their Delta flight home meant that they had to divert back to Denver (DEN) shortly after takeoff, with the replacement aircraft eventually getting them back to Boston more than 5.5 hours late.

This didn’t have any material impact baseball-wise, with the Red Sox winning all four of their games in the subsequent home series vs the New York Yankees from June 25-28. Last month, however, a combination of adverse weather and technical issues delayed the Red Sox’s flight from Chicago to New York by so much that the first game of their road series at the New York Mets had to start some 35 minutes late.

A Luxurious Way To Travel

Credit: Shutterstock

As previously mentioned, the aircraft involved in the most recent technical issues surrounding the Boston Red Sox’s VIP charter flights on Delta Air Lines is a 37-year-old Boeing 757-200 that bears the registration N650DL. At the time of writing, it was still in the air on its way from LA to Boston, with its expected arrival time at Logan Airport being 10:04 AM. Luckily, the team’s next game is tomorrow night.

On account of its use as a charter jet by sports teams such as the Red Sox, N650DL features a luxurious layout with just 72 first class seats on board. According to Planespotters.net, the jet operated regular flights for Delta (and its failed low-cost arm Song) from 1989 to 2015, before being reconfigured for VIP use. Needless to say, both Delta and the Red Sox will be hoping for better luck going forward.