The idea sprung from a common malady that vexes your average salesperson from Sheboygan: travel delays. While flying 49,141 miles in 2024, second most in baseball, the Dodgers reached a breaking point of spending too many hours on the ground, whether it was waiting for equipment to be loaded, mechanical delays, crews timing out or the like. They did something about it.
For the 2024 postseason they booked a second team plane. The first plane would carry only the players. It would leave as quickly as possible after games. The second plane would ferry staff, support personnel and equipment. The main motivators were to give the players up to an hour head start on rest and recovery and to build more camaraderie. It worked so well the Dodgers decided to use the two-plane system for all of 2025.
