WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced on Tuesday that the league will start using charter flights for all teams this season.
Teams previously frequently used commercial flights for travel, drawing criticism from players.
“We intend to fund a full-time charter for this season,” Engelbert told reporters, per the Associated Press.
Engelbert said that the program is expected to cost roughly $25 million per year for the next two seasons. The league plans to launch the program “as soon as we can get planes in places.”
The regular season is scheduled to tip off on May 14.
Commercial travel has been a frequent pain point for players as the league has continued to grow in recent seasons. Players have repeatedly taken to social media to shine light on travel concerns that surfaced multiple issues including delays leading to long nights in airports and exposure to COVID-19 during the pandemic.
Las Vegas Aces All-Star Kelsey Plum addressed the effects of a delayed flight in 2022 while advocating for dedicated charter flights.
“I think I’m the best conditioned player in this league, respectfully, and I feel like to play that type of game against Seattle (Sunday), then to get on a delayed flight for five and a half hours, fly across the country, wake up and play the next day, I mean, I was tired today.”
“If you guys have ever watched me play, I can go all day. So I don’t think it’s necessarily conditioning as it’s just the setup of the schedule. I mean, let’s be real, I mean, I’m not here to blame a charter flight for the reason that we lost, but normally a team would fly out that night, and have that whole day to rest and get your legs back under you and then go play the next day. So you know those little things make a difference. Hopefully we’re on our way.”
Engelbert said in 2022 that issuing full-time charter flights for teams would jeopardize the financial health of the the WNBA.
“This is something that we’re not going to jeopardize the financial health of the league and be irresponsible about,” Engelbert said. “If we can get it funded by sponsors and supporters, great, but that’s not where we are. We do not have that.”
