WNBA’s New Charter Flights Schedule to Include 2023 Playoffs, Consecutive Games
The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) has decided to expand its chartered flight schedule for this season.
The revised program will include private travel for consecutive games in the regular season and playoffs.
The association had expanded the flight schedule last season to allow private travel for Commissioner’s Cup Championship Game and all WNBA Finals games.
Still, charter flights were never approved in other cases.
In an announcement on Monday, the WNBA said that the move aims to improve the player experience and will cost around $4.5 million — a price the league will pay.
“The move comes after the league faced pressure from players such as Brittney Griner and Breanna Stewart to provide better travel options,” the Associated Press (AP) quoted Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.
Following her release from a Russian prison, Griner’s demand for private flights due to security concerns prompted a renewed focus on the issue.
Stewart also used her platform to advocate for air travel and called for a deal that would subsidize charter travel for the WNBA.
Engelbert previously told ESPN that such transport would cost the league $25 million annually, which was too steep for the league’s current finances.
However, she indicated that a new media rights deal could provide the funding needed to expand the program.
According to Engelbert, improved travel costs are still substantial, but they said efforts to expand chartered trips would continue.
“Since joining the league a few years ago, a goal of mine has been to enhance the overall player experience,” she said. “As the league continues to grow, we will look to do more in the future.”
The move comes as the WNBA looks to build on the success of this year’s NCAA tournament, which enjoyed a significant viewership boost.
