Liberty stars Brianna Stewart and Jonquel Jones high-five and coach Sandy Brondello learns during a media Zoom call that the WNBA will begin a program allowing all 12 teams to fly on charter flights this season. and gave a round of applause.
The trio was asked about their reaction to the news while speaking with reporters before a 101-53 preseason loss to the Chicago Sky.
After reporters finished asking questions, Stewart joked, “I’m going to charter it all the way to Connecticut.”
“If that’s true, we think it’s surprising,” Jones added. “There are a lot of games this season and we want to play our best and the charter will definitely help with that.”
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said Tuesday at a meeting with sports editors in New York that the WNBA intends to “fund a full-time charter for this season” and “as soon as we can arrange a flight.” ” He added that he would start charter flights.
Charter flights, or the lack of charter flights, for WNBA teams has been a major point of contention for the league’s players in recent years, with some of the league’s biggest stars, including Stewart, requesting charter flights from WNBA teams last season. rose to the forefront. I need them.
The WNBA already said during the April draft that it would again pay for charter flights for the entire playoffs, in addition to back-to-back games this year.
The league will have a more packed schedule to make up for the interruption during the Olympic period in late July and early August.
The issue of charter flights came to a head again recently when Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever were surrounded by cameras as they arrived in Dallas on a commercial plane for a preseason game.
Concerns about the safety of players following the incident led to renewed protests about the need for chartered flights, something Stewart also mentioned on Tuesday.
“We understand not only player health and wellness, but also player safety,” Stewart said. “And making sure we get from point A to point B and being able to focus on our job and our teammates. Not everything else is happening in parallel.
Liberty has been at the forefront of the charter flight race since owners Joe and Clara Wu Tsai took the reins in 2019.
The team was also fined $500,000 for CBA violations after the WNBA discovered Tsai provided charter flights to the team during the second half of the 2021 season.
The WNBA season opens on May 14th, with the Liberty opening the season on the road against the Washington Mystics.
