Charter flights may have benefited the Sun the most

In the past, they have had two choices for flights, Bradly International Airport (BDL) in Hartford or T.F. Green International Airport (PVD) in Warwick, R.I. Both airports are considered to be generally small compared to other airports and offer fewer flights. Both PVD and BDL are about an hour from Uncasville, where the team practices and plays its games.  

Especially with the Sun’s recent demanding road trip schedule, including five games in just seven days, commercial flights would have affected their travel significantly. 

“[If we weren’t flying on charter flights] It would be extremely difficult, because you always had to leave the next morning, depending on where you were and what flights were able to get out,” Sun center Tina Charles told The Next during practice this past week. ”Even my tenure in Connecticut, [my] first four years, it’s still hard to get into Hartford or Providence. In the beginning, we were connecting, taking connecting flights, and that was tough. So, yeah, definitely had some early, early struggles.”

The inconvenience of getting to and from the airport on top of tight schedules and long security wait times caused the team to have little time for recovery and posed other difficulties. Additionally, the number of games played per season has increased from 36 in 2022 to 44 total games in the 2025 season, but the time frame of the season isn’t longer; there are just more games. 

The WNBA began rolling out charter flights at the start of the 2024 season, especially after some concerns about safety during prior seasons.  

In 2023, there was an incident of harassment towards now Atlanta Dream center Brittney Griner when she played for the Phoenix Mercury, where a man yelled that Griner, “hates America” at a Dallas Airport after being wrongfully detained in a Russian prison in 2022. 

Statements were issued on both sides by the WNBA and WNBPA regarding player safety. Aya Abdeen of The Next reported that the WNBPA in particular, criticized the previous requirement of teams having to fly commercially rather than taking charter flights in the WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement (CBA). 

“As we continue to hear from our members throughout the start of the season and particularly today with the situation involving the Phoenix Mercury at the Dallas airport, we are quite clear that the matter of charter travel is NOT a ‘competitive advantage’ issue,” the WNBPA said. “We cannot help but wonder if the league and teams preclude more reasonable and flexible rules regarding charter travel in 2023 in order to seek leverage on this issue at the bargaining table.” 

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This incident re-sparked conversations of player safety and charter flights, acting as a turning point for the possibilities of what was in the league’s future. 

Saniya Rivers, Sun rookie guard, wasn’t necessarily familiar with the former safety issues but is glad to know that charter flights have helped solve past problems the league was facing. 

“I came at a perfect time then,” Rivers told The Next regarding safety complaints prior to charter flights being rolled out. “I travel, both [commercially and charter]. I feel safe regardless. But I guess knowing that it’s just us people, that we’re in a circle with and trust, it’s always nice.” 

Comfort and equality

WNBA players and female athletes overall have demanded and fought for equality throughout the years and this was a huge step in the right direction. Elite female athletes at the highest level want to be treated accordingly and with respect.

“[The major differences between charter and commercial flights are] how comfortable seats are, just being able to have our own privacy,” Charles said. “Feeling like a professional, [which is] how a professional should be feeling. That all makes a difference. You feel as one with your counterpart, with the men in the NBA. It’s great to have access, after games, you’re able to get out [quickly]…I think that’s the main thing, is being able to recover faster.” 

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Charter flights tend to have more room for athletes, which has enhanced their comfort. The WNBA schedule is demanding in such a short period of time, and they do sometimes have games back-to-back days, making rest and recovery even more important for their performance. 

WNBA players need to and want to be able to rest on their flight when they have tight schedules like this. The Sun recently had this happen when they played the Indiana Fever in Indianapolis, Ind., on June 17, and then they had to play the Phoenix Mercury at home in Connecticut the next day, June 18. 

“After [going on] a charter flight, I just went on a commercial flight to go back home. And I was like, ‘Oh, I’m around people, and I don’t got my own row?’ I’m squished, we [were] hitting elbows…It’s [more space] definitely a plus on charter flights,” Rivers said. 

Mothers of the league

For Sun veteran guard Bria Hartley, charter flights don’t just mean comfort and safety but rather something entirely different to her as a mother with a young son. Earlier in her career, commercial flights made it difficult to be a professional athlete and a mother at the same time. 

“Me, I have a son and a family, so it’s nice being able to take him on because years ago, like, I used to have to pay for him to be on flights and everything like that, and pay for hotels. So it helps with that inconvenience as well,” Hartley told The Next. 

There are many mothers in the league and the Sun have had mothers play for their franchise in the past, including most recently forward-guard DeWanna Bonner. Using charter flights has made it easier for them to focus on their career and save money, since many female athletes are already underpaid compared to their male counterparts. 

Travel issues and recovery

Travel Issues with commercial flights have been a recurring problem for the league as it has grown in recent years. In 2018, the Las Vegas Aces were forced to forfeit their game against the Washington Mystics due to delays in travel. 

Sun guard Lindsay Allen was a second-year player during that inaugural Aces team and experienced how much trouble the travel delays while flying commercially can cause. 

“Our flight got delayed, we didn’t get to Washington, DC, until two hours, three hours before our game,” Allen told The Next. “So it was like, ‘are we gonna postpone it? Are we gonna forfeit it? Are we gonna delay the game a little bit?’…The commissioner said that we could delay it from seven to eight. We were like, ‘No, that’s not enough time.’ We ended up just having to forfeit because it was too close. We had to travel through Dallas as a layover. It was just hard. It was just too much on our bodies to have to travel that far, that long, and sit in the airport all day.” 

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Charter flights don’t eliminate delays, but they have helped to minimize issues due to other delayed flights and layovers. Minimizing delays has helped to prevent another situation like the 2018 Aces forfeit from happening. 

“I mean, don’t get me wrong, weather can still impact delays when you’re chartering and stuff like that, but it helps it happen a little bit less,” Hartley said. 

Sun players noted how difficult their most recent road trip, including five games in just seven days, would have been if they still had to fly commercially. 

“It’d be insane! Especially, playing in Connecticut on a Friday night and then having to take a flight in the morning all the way out to Seattle and then play the next day, [it] definitely just takes a toll on your body,” Hartley said. “Sleep is very important [for] recovery, especially as you get older, for someone like me. So it just impacts your ability to sleep in that recovery period. We just want to make sure we’re doing the best, to give us the best environment to be successful in, especially if we’re going to keep adding games [to the season.”  

First impressions

Rivers was in awe during her first impression of chartering in the WNBA as a rookie. She said that charter flights help with the efficiency of getting to and from your destination. 

“We get in and we get out… After the game, we might have to travel however long to the airport, but TSA, they’re checking our bags, and then we get on the plane and we’re probably taking off within 30 minutes. Usually, it takes forever to take off.  

It’s nice. We have our own space. ‘W’ players, we’re long, so the fact that we have all that space, the chairs recline, and all that good stuff. We have [outlets for] chargers. We got WiFi. So I mean, we couldn’t ask for anything better. I know I couldn’t. I’m not that bougie, so it’s not hard to please me. The fruit is what got me. So the fruit is on every flight, and I be chilling,” Rivers said with a laugh.

Rivers has flown on charter flights before in college, but she said it is different in the WNBA. She has been very impressed, especially with the food they have served her.  

“They’ve been cool. I mean, I get my own row. It’s different from college. Sometimes you have to double up, whatever. But I get my own row. We get the good-quality food. I kill the fruit every time. They’ve been good to me…, Rivers said. 

Overall, charter flights have been a great experience for the Sun. Without being near a big city with quick and easy access to flights, players have noticed and embraced the upgrades they have received. 

WNBA players have always just wanted to be treated like they were real professional athletes and with charter flights, now they do. 

“They’re great for us. They’re easy. It’s what we deserve as women athletes playing professionally in the United States. I think it’s what every professional league should have. I think it’s so important for athletes and just our player welfare,” Allen said.