Why chartered flights could be a game-changer for WNBA players - ESPN

Since the WNBA launched in 1997, teams have primarily traveled on commercial airlines due to financial reasons. And all travel parameters were part of the collective bargaining agreements between the league and players' union. But in recent years, the call for charter flights has grown more insistent.

Players have cited health and safety concerns, explaining that commercial travel adds to fatigue, which impacts performance. Plus, the growing popularity of WNBA players has made their security in public places a more urgent issue.

The WNBA began using charters for all playoff games in 2023. But on Tuesday, the league — without going into specifics — confirmed even bigger travel changes are coming.

«We intend to fund a full-time charter for this season,» WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said. «We're going to as soon as we can get it up and running. Maybe it's a couple weeks, maybe it's a month… We are really excited for the prospects here.»

Engelbert said it's projected to cost around $25 million per year for the next two seasons, according to The Associated Press. But other details — including the funding for charters and what happens to the commercial tickets already purchased for teams' travel — haven't been announced. Switching to charters is a landmark move for the players' working experience, one of Engelbert's priorities.

The growth of the college season, which had record television viewership numbers, and the WNBA appears to have accelerated interest and investment in women's basketball.

«We've been on a wave,» Minnesota Lynx and U.S. Olympic team coach Cheryl Reeve said Tuesday on a media call. «But this is like a bit more of a tsunami. If you think the status quo is going to work, you're going to miss out on