WNBA allowing teams to use public charter service, sources say - ESPN

As the WNBA faces increased pressure to move away from commercial airline travel, the league has allowed teams this season to fly on a public chartering service called JSX with certain protocols in place, league sources told ESPN this week.

The league's travel situation has come under increased scrutiny after the Phoenix Mercury's Brittney Griner — who was detained in Russia most of last year and subsequently released in a high-profile prisoner exchange — was harassed in a Dallas airport this past weekend while flying commercially with the team.

WNBA teams primarily fly commercial, citing cost. Some franchises and players have increasingly pushed for the use of charters, and the New York Liberty incurred a $500,000 fine for illicitly flying charters to some away games in 2021.

This year, the league expanded charter use to postseason play and regular-season games played on back-to-back days that require air travel.

According to its website, JSX is a «hop-on jet service that's faster on the ground and more comfortable in the air» and operates out of private terminals, eliminating the need for teams to go through the airport and TSA security. Tickets are fairly comparable to what commercial flights cost, and planes can hold up to 30 people, providing teams the option to buy out an entire flight. It's «a taste of what chartering will be like,» one league executive told ESPN.

JSX isn't available in most WNBA cities, though, and, unlike charters, the airline's flights have pre-set routes and times, which the league has told teams they cannot change.

According to its website, the closest JSX hubs to WNBA cities include three in the Los Angeles area (Los Angeles, Burbank, Orange County); Phoenix, Las Vegas, Dallas (where the