Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark discussed the WNBA's plan to implement chartered flights for all teams as soon as possible for the 2024 season.
This is a significant departure from past practices, where players relied on commercial flights, often encountering delays, inconvenience, and security concerns.
"I'm happy for the players that have been in this league a really long time and have really deserved this for years and years and years. I'm just excited, I'm thankful, at whatever point that it is, that it happens," the NCAA's all-time leading scorer told the media during the team's training camp on Wednesday, May 9.
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The former Iowa Hawkeyes star also acknowledged the enhanced rest they can now take to ensure they are fully prepared for their games.
"It'll be great for us, it'll make recovery easier, it'll make travel easier, it just makes life a lot easier for a lot of people... I'm just very fortunate to come to this league and have this opportunity the first year that I'm here," the 22-year-old added.
WNBA's chartered flights come at a hefty price
The league is set to invest $25 million per season for the next two years in this initiative, potentially totaling $50 million.
Nevertheless, they anticipate a boost in revenue and viewership with the arrival of famous college basketball stars like Clark and the growing popularity of women's sports overall.
The WNBA has not set a specific timeline for when charter flights will be accessible for all teams, and there remains the possibility that teams may continue to fly commercial at the start of the regular season.
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