In a bit of an ironical twist it turns out that the winner of a big legacy sponsorship agreement with the Chicago Cubs is not necessarily the same airline the team flies out and back of the Windy City.

American Airlines was successful earlier in the year to acquire a key sponsorship of Chicago’s home team, the Cubs; a deal even sweeter now that the Cubs are in the race for the National League pennant. Yet, when it comes to actual travel time, the Cubs pick American Airlines to take them on the road.

United Airlines, which used to have a ten-year contract with the team, simply could not compete with the American Airlines offer. Nevertheless, United Airlines supplies the team with its charter flights, including its most recent trips to New York City to play against the Mets.

The Cubs were hoping that this unusual arrangement would remain “under the radar,” but an internal United Airlines blog posted earlier last week that United had “played a big role in getting half of the postseason contenders where they need to be.”

The blog also stated that the airline has a “reputation for running a smooth charter operation” which gave them the opportunity to service 13 Major League Baseball teams this season.