WNBA to begin full-time charter flights this season, commissioner says

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The wait for full-time charter flights for WNBA teams is finally over with Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announcing the league's plans to start the program this season.

"We intend to fund a full-time charter for this season," Engelbert said Tuesday in a meeting with sports editors.

She said the league will launch the program "as soon as we can get planes in places."

Engelbert said the program will cost the league around $25 million per year for the next two seasons.

The WNBA had already announced at its draft last month plans to once again pay for charter flights for the entire playoffs as well as for back-to-back games during the upcoming season that require air travel.

The league's schedule features more back-to-back sets this season, with the WNBA taking a long break for the Olympics in late July and early August. The league spent $4 million on charters in 2023.

Engelbert said before the WNBA draft that the league needs to be in the right financial position to charter planes.

The WNBA is attracting more attention than ever thanks to rookies like 2024 No. 1 overall pick Caitlin Clark, who helped the NCAA reach its best viewership in history for women's basketball, with nearly 19 million fans watching the title game, along with former LSU and current Chicago Sky star Angel Reese, who went to the Met Gala on Monday night, and No. 2 overall pick Cameron Brink.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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