The Sonics' luxury plane will not be included when the sale of the team is finalized between outgoing owner Barry Ackerley and The Basketball Club of Seattle, both parties confirmed yesterday.
A group of local investors led by Starbucks chairman Howard Schultz, Sonics president and general manager Wally Walker and Voice-Stream CEO John Stanton could not come to terms with Ackerley concerning a lease on the customized $18 million Boeing 727-200.
Schultz and Walker pledged $200 million Jan. 11 to buy the Sonics. Sources said the new ownership group would have needed an additional $11 million to secure the plane.
'For the enterprise the size of a professional sports franchise, (buying the plane) didn't work financially,' said Walker, who added that his group would instead charter a plane through the NBA.
An Ackerley Group spokeswoman said the team would continue to operate the plane until the team's sale closes. The NBA Board of Governors is expected to approve the sale in mid-March, which means the Sonics would change their air carrier during a potential playoff push.
Meanwhile, the Ackerley Group plans tonegotiate with other potential buyers who have 'expressed interest' in the plane.
While two-thirds of NBA teams (including the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers) use charters, Ackerley preferred a customized aircraft with personal control over maintenance and safety.
The Sonics' plane, purchased in 1999, can fly nonstop anywhere in the country, or from the East Coast to Europe without refueling. It features 38 seats that swivel 360 degrees and fully recline. There are 10 television screens, VCRs and several phones.
'It'll be different,' said Walker, adding that the charter planes are 727s and comparable in size.
