As the WNBA gears up for its 28th season, the league has officially initiated its regular-season chartering program. The Indiana Fever and Minnesota Lynx have already begun flying private for their opening-day games at Connecticut and Seattle, respectively.
However, according to personnel from various teams in communication with ESPN, the league has not communicated when they will be allowed to charter for their games. Even teams that have started chartering are still awaiting confirmation on whether they’ll be able to charter for more away games in the future, as per a source familiar with the situation.
Per @alexaphilippou, several teams still haven’t received word about when their time with charter flights will start.
And the two teams that do have charter flights for their first game — the Fever and the Lynx — are unsure if they will have them for additional away games.
On May 9, the WNBA officially announced that a complete charter program would be phased in at the beginning of the 2024 regular season via press release. WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert informed a group of sports editors that the league was close to transitioning to full chartering “as soon as we can get planes in places.”
Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever Charter First Flight of 2024
It’s an exciting time for the Indiana Fever as they gear up for their season opener against the Connecticut Sun on May 14. With the recent change in WNBA rules allowing teams to utilize charter flights for away games, players and staff have a sense of celebration. In capturing the moment on the charter plane, Erica Wheeler shared the joyous reactions of her teammates and coaches, who marveled at the spacious jet and its amenities.
The Indiana Fever are on their first charter flight of the season as part of the WNBA’s new league-wide program ✈️
Caitlin Clark was pivotal in advocating for charter flights to become the new standard across the WNBA this season. However, amidst the celebrations, Clark’s reaction was notably different. Having experienced the luxury of charter travel and significant NIL income during her college career at Iowa, Clark may be trying to focus on her highly anticipated WNBA debut instead of the jet. But the star appeared happy as she was set to board the charter flight via a video posted by the Indiana Fever.
behind the scenes of our first charter flight 👀
As the chartered flight program is rolled out and becomes a reality, players across the league have voiced their excitement and appreciation while acknowledging how far the league has come from its early years as an expansion league.
WNBA Players Express Excitement Regarding Chartered Flights
The WNBA’s decision to introduce charter flights for teams this season has garnered widespread praise from players, notably Seattle Storm forward and WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike and Connecticut Sun guard Rachel Banham. This move represents a significant departure from past practices, where charter flights were reserved solely for the WNBA Finals and playoff rounds. Ogwumike has been calling for changes to the WNBA’s travel program for quite some time.
WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike continues to speak out on the WNBA’s travel woes, calling on the league to provide charter flights in 2023.
“On behalf of the players, I express my appreciation and support for a bold move by the Commissioner and team governors that in turn shows that they understand and value the health and safety of the players. It is time to be transformational. It’s time to bet on women,” said Ogwumike.
Connecticut Sun guard Rachel Banham wasn’t sure if she should believe the news when the headline broke. “I almost thought it was a joke,” Banham said. “It’s like, unbelievable. We knew it could get there, but you never knew when, so we’re all kind of shocked. Everyone is so pumped, and it’s so nice for those of us who have been in the league for such a long time and haven’t ever seen it. To the young ones, we’re like, ‘Be grateful for this because this is not what we’ve been dealing with.’”
Under previous regulations, even prominent teams like the New York Liberty were constrained by the Collective Bargaining Agreement, which prohibited charter flights during the regular season. With projections indicating a cost of approximately $25 million for league-wide chartering, financial considerations posed a significant obstacle.
But in a massive credit to the league, they have listened to their players and have acted. While the league and the sport experienced a boom in popularity, the league is working to improve every aspect of the player’s experience. It is committed to ensuring that they are treated like top athletes.
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Many WNBA Teams Still in the Dark Regarding New Charter Flight Program: Report