WNBA allowing teams to use public charter service
Following the incident where Brittney Griner was harassed by a man at a Dallas airport
By Jacob Lev, CNN
(CNN) — The WNBA has expanded its travel protocol to allow teams to use a public charter service called JSX for all games.
JSX says it operates out of private terminals making it possible for passengers to avoid lines and crowds at the airport.
Since JSX isn’t available in most WNBA cities, the league told teams that airline flights have to be regularly scheduled JSX routes and times and cannot be custom routes.
Previously, unlike in the NBA, WNBA teams were not permitted to use charter planes for travel.
The WNBA instituted the protocol before Brittney Griner, the WNBA star who was freed from Russia late last year after being wrongfully detained, was harassed by a man described as a social media “provocateur” at a Dallas airport.
In April, the WNBA announced that the league would expand its charter flights program for all postseason games and select regular season games where teams have back-to-back games on the schedule.
Last week, a source familiar with the incident told CNN that Griner was at the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport traveling with Phoenix Mercury teammates when she was confronted by the man who was yelling at her about “the Merchant of Death.”
The confrontation got so heated that the man was tackled and law enforcement was involved, according to the source.
In December, Griner was released in a prisoner swap involving Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout – nicknamed the “Merchant of Death” – after spending nearly 300 days in Russian custody.
The-CNN-Wire
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CNN’s Abby Phillip and Raja Razek contributed to reporting.
