Team travel - an article on how the Zags fly

[SpokaneCY]

Do we do it differently? Zags hire private charter planes. Blurb about KU having a 737 where all the seats are first class sized.

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2019/mar/09/how-gonzaga-travels-behind-the-scenes-look-at-how-/

 

[Pat]

Most college basketball teams fly to games. Commercially. In the same planes we all do. But one of the perks of playing for one of the nation’s elite college basketball programs is traveling on privately chartered jets. That rarefied company includes Gonzaga.​

I would be shocked if there is a single P5 school that flies commercial. I’ve definitely seen MBB teams in airports before, but it’s always the “buy-a-win” schools.

 

[cyinne]

I would say that there are about 9-12 conferences that do fly charter to most, if not all their away games. Now, where it differentiates in “elite” travel is that by school policy some schools have to take bids on their charter flights and take the lowest bid, other schools must choose more no frills because of budget restrictions, and then others that can spend more money choose more of an a la carte menu with first class seats throughout, etc.

 

[wxman1]

ISU uses Meregrass a ton for both basketball teams as well as volleyball. If they are not using Meregrass they are likely using an Ultimate Jet Dornier 328. Here is an interesting Twitter account that tweets out a lot of sports charter flights. There are numerous teams that use regional carriers in a charter fashion as well.

https://twitter.com/SportsAviation

 

[Darius Bieber]

ISU uses Meregrass a ton for both basketball teams as well as volleyball. If they are not using Meregrass they are likely using an Ultimate Jet Dornier 328. Here is an interesting Twitter account that tweets out a lot of sports charter flights. There are numerous teams that use regional carriers in a charter fashion as well.

https://twitter.com/SportsAviation

Yep. This is their flight to Morgantown for the West Virginia game.

https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N813BB/history/20190305/2140Z/KAMW/KMGW

And this is their flight for their Texas matchup last Saturday.

https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N813BB/history/20190301/2141Z/KAMW/KAUS


Looks like they've been using the turboprop Saab 2000 this year for their charters.

 

[wxman1]

Yep. This is their flight to Morgantown for the West Virginia game.

https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N813BB/history/20190305/2140Z/KAMW/KMGW

And this is their flight for their Texas matchup last Saturday.

https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N813BB/history/20190301/2141Z/KAMW/KAUS


Looks like they've been using the turboprop Saab 2000 this year for their charters.

Yup. Those Saabs are great. Cheaper than a jet, still very fast and is set up with plenty of leg room and a very nice interior.

https://meregrass.com/saab-2000/

 

[BCClone]

Yup. Those Saabs are great. Cheaper than a jet, still very fast and is set up with plenty of leg room and a very nice interior.

https://meregrass.com/saab-2000/

Are they quieter than whatever NW (or whoever their provider was) used to fly from mason city to MSP? That was one noisy SOB. Had a slight headache after hearing those props flapping around around for 30 minutes.

 

[wxman1]

Are they quieter than whatever NW (or whoever their provider was) used to fly from mason city to MSP? That was one noisy SOB. Had a slight headache after hearing those props flapping around around for 30 minutes.

I have not flown on them but there is a good chance that it was an older Saab plane that used to be on that route. That or an old Dash. Regardless yes they are likely much quieter than those older airframes.

 

[1UNI2ISU]

'Most fly commercial'? That's just not true. Hell, little tiny UNI charters everywhere we go in the Valley except Des Moines and Peoria...

 

[I-stateTheTruth]

I sat next to Murray State's team once on a commercial flight in the early 1990s. To see a 6'9" kid twisted into a standard coach seat was painful. Thankfully for him, the flight was only about an hour (they were probably connecting to another).

 

[fenton06]

Funny enough, UCLA still doesn't charter, which was a big talking point in the Alford firing. I found that to be absolutely shocking.

Surely you're not serious....are you?

 

[cyclonespiker33]

A few years back when Iowa State played Buffalo in basketball, they were in the Des Moines airport at the same time as me. I wonder if they are still flying commercially with the great year they're having.

 

[Sousaclone]

Flew with MBB as a part of the basketball band to Charlotte for the NCAAs back in either 2005 or 2006. They chartered a regular plane that hauled the players, coaches, staff, AD personnel, some high level donors, cheer squad, and the band. Players were up front in first class (at least on the way there) and the band was all the way in the back.

Flight home I think it was a little more dispersed. I was towards the back and we had a couple players in the back with us (I think Damion Staple was back there because he was able to snag an entire row while everyone else packed in the front).