Cleared for takeoff: Aces, WNBA teams get more chartered flights

The Aces will no longer need to look for loopholes to fly private.

The WNBA is committing $50 million the next two years to fund full-time charter flight service for every team during the season.

The program will start “as soon as we can get planes in places,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said Tuesday, according to The Associated Press.

“I think everybody’s immediate response is: ‘Great.’ What it all looks like, we’re still gathering information. We don’t know,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said. “But I think it’s definitely a good thing for our players in our league. And everybody’s very happy they’re not going to have to stand in security lines as much or as long.”

WNBA general managers, players and coaches were not made aware of the news before Engelbert’s announcement, according to The Athletic. Aces forward Alysha Clark and center Kiah Stokes were shocked when they were given the update after Tuesday’s practice.

“I think you’ll see a difference in the players as we’re out here on the floor this season,” Clark said. “We have more games this season. With the Olympic break coming in, it’s a tight schedule.”

The WNBA’s policy change was to address player safety concerns.

Travel has been an area of discord between teams and the league for years. WNBA teams have often flown on commercial flights for games while their counterparts in men’s professional leagues like the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB fly private.

WNBA travel did get a small upgrade last season as clubs were allowed to use private flights in the playoffs or when playing on consecutive days. Teams were also permitted to purchase seats on smaller planes through a charter company called JetSuiteX, which helped teams avoid public terminals and TSA. JSX operates from a limiting pre-set schedule, which led the Aces to search for a workaround during the 2023 campaign.

The team booked flights outside of the company’s set schedule during a three-game road trip last season. The Aces weren’t fined, but the WNBA demanded that a June 4 flight from Indianapolis to Hartford, Connecticut, be canceled due to a breach of league protocols.

The league’s travel issues resurfaced last season when center Brittney Griner was harassed in a Dallas airport while flying commercially with the Phoenix Mercury. There were also concerns about flying commercial during a condensed scheduled this year because the WNBA is taking a four-week break for the Paris Olympics.

The Aces themselves had an issue with public flights five years ago.

They became the first team in WNBA history to forfeit a game in August 2018 after an airport horror story. They traveled for 26 hours to a game against the Washington Mystics due to delays and didn’t arrive until four hours before tipoff.

The Aces shouldn’t have to worry about anything similar happening this season.

Contact reporter Callie Lawson-Freeman at clawsonfreeman@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.