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WNBA playoffs: League flies Wings, Sun to Dallas on chartered flights after travel issues

The WNBA is providing, at least some, charter flights during the playoffs.

The league flew both the Dallas Wings and the Connecticut Sun on private flights ahead of their Game 3 matchup in Texas on Wednesday night, according to Business Insider’s Meredith Cash.

The move apparently came after the Wings’ original flight was canceled.

Presumably, commissioner Cathy Engelbert opted to fly both teams on charters so that neither had a competitive advantage in the series.

That, however, is an exception to those two teams. Others, like the Chicago Sky, had to fly commercial into LaGuardia International Airport for their Game 3 matchup with the New York Liberty on Tuesday night.

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Now to be fair, a flight from Chicago to New York City is certainly a much more accessible route than one from Connecticut to Dallas. With two major airports in Chicago and three in the New York area, there are plenty of opportunities to find a direct flight.

By comparison, there are just two direct flights to Dallas each day out of Bradley International Airport in Hartford, Connecticut. If one is canceled, a team could easily be stranded.

The WNBA currently has all teams flying commercial throughout the season, something that has led to plenty of issues and bad travel conditions. Just earlier this month, half of the Los Angeles Sparks had to sleep in an airport because their flight was canceled at the last second.

Engelbert has said that it would cost more than $20 million each season to charter flights for the entire league, which she doesn’t think is sustainable at this point. Liberty owner Joe Tsai has tried to get private planes for teams, and he was even fined $500,000 last season for flying the team privately.

While it’s good that the WNBA stepped in to get the Wings and Sun to Dallas after their travel issues, it’s easy to see why selectively flying just two teams could rub fans — and even players — the wrong way.

A WNBA Playoffs logo
After the Wings' flight to Dallas was canceled, the WNBA flew both them and the Sun privately ahead of Game 1 on Wednesday. (AP/Lindsey Wasson)