Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner will now be permitted to fly charter for the remainder of her team's road games after being harassed while waiting to board a commercial flight at Dallas-Forth Worth International Airport, according to a report by ESPN. It is believed that the Mercury may now be allowed to use JSX public charter flights for the entire team, an option that was reportedly not available to them at the start of the year.
Many teams in the WNBA have used JSX to travel to road games, but with certain protocols in place. Namely, they cannot use charter flights except for when they have back-to-back games, and that teams must use pre-set routes and times when flying. The Mercury had taken a JSX flight to Los Angeles and then to Dallas, but there was not a standard flight available on the airline from Dallas to Indianapolis, which resulted in Griner and her teammates taking a commercial flight before Griner was confronted by a YouTube provocateur.
Permitting Griner -- who has been a major target of scrutiny given her detainment in Russia last year and eventual release in a prisoner swap for an arms dealer -- to fly privately is not without its complications. There is the matter of how the WNBA or Mercury would pay to have Griner fly, and also the matter of a potential competitive advantage for the Mercury should they be allowed to fly charter all season.
