Major League Soccer (MlS) Case Study
THE CHALLENGE:
When the 2020 regular season of Major League Soccer (MLS) concluded on November 8th, MLS held their breath for the green light on the playoff schedule amidst climbing COVID-19 cases and another temporary season suspension looming. When a November 20th playoff start date was confirmed, the MLS urgently sought a way to bring its roster of international players back into the United States despite rigorous COVID-19 travel restrictions. Its international players were spread across three different continents and needed to be delivered to multiple locations in the U.S.
WHEN A NOVEMBER 20TH PLAYOFF START DATE WAS CONFIRMED, THE MLS URGENTLY SOUGHT A WAY TO BRING ITS ROSTER OF INTERNATIONAL PLAYERS BACK INTO THE UNITED STATES DESPITE RIGOROUS COVID-19 TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS.
THE SOLUTION:
Working on a tight timeline, PJS and MLS partnered to quickly pinpoint players worldwide and secure flights. The flight plan collected players from smaller hubs in Africa, Europe and South America and joined them together in major connecting cities of Lima, Madrid and Johannesburg before bringing them into the United States. Beyond coordinating a complicated flight plan, PSJ navigated new pandemic regulations and ensured the safety of MLS players by:
- Securing additional permits where needed and working closely with the MLS to leverage their relationships with local governments.
- Confirming negative COVID-19 tests for all players prior to boarding all flights.
- Expanding its traditional flight routes to work around countries with more strict COVID-19 travel regulations or closed to commercial aviation entirely.
- Ensuring that players were aware of and abided by government regulations for each city transited.
THE RESULT:
Even in the middle of a global pandemic affecting both aviation and live sports, two industries were able to come together to solve what seemed like an impossible chore from the get-go. PJS organized and executed a 30-flight plan to privately charter 21 international MLS players to the United States in less than 14 days time — just in time for the start of the 2020 playoffs.
Travel for the project amounted to more than 115 hours of flight time between 27 cities, 17 countries and 4 continents.
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Private Jet Services Group (PJS) is a corporate aviation consultancy providing mission-critical flight services to a global clientele of corporations, professional and collegiate athletic teams, live entertainment tours, governments, and others who recognize the cost of their transportation is far exceeded by the cost of failure. PJS procures on behalf of those clients both VIP and standard configured airliners, regional aircraft, as well as light, midsize, and large cabin executive jets. PJS acts as agents for its clients in negotiating and facilitating transportation with licensed air carriers. PJS does not own or operate aircraft.
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