WNBA commissioner says charter flight program still has a few kinks but is running smoothly

NEW YORK (AP) — The WNBA’s new charter flight program still has a few expected kinks but commissioner Cathy Engelbert expects everything to be running smoothly after the Olympic break.

“It’s a big Rubik’s Cube,” Engelbert told The Associated Press in a phone interview Friday. “Where could we get planes and pilots for long haul flights? It’s not like the plane takes you and waits there for two days. It’s been deployed elsewhere. There’s a logistical complexity.”

It usually takes months of work to put together a charter schedule for a professional league because of plane availability and pilot staffing. The WNBA was able to get it done in a few weeks, in large part because of a longstanding relationship with Delta and the blueprint the NBA has in place.

“The footprint of our season is so dense. We wanted to take advantage of the fact that we knew these first couple of weeks, especially on the front end of this, were going to be challenging for our teams,” Engelbert said. “That’s why we pulled the trigger when we did. We looked at the schedule and challenges it created and decided it was time.”