I am sorry, I missed where I brought another thread into this conversation. You asked for ANY team and you got one, but in spite of Arizona making a factual statement about their travel you still remain 'skeptical'. I am not sure why you are skeptical, you set the parameters, they were met. So be skeptical all you want. Was there a charter for the Arizona basketball team to Hawaii? Yes. If you want to qualify it after the fact because it didn't fit your expectations feel free. My advice is ask a better question next time.
Taking last things first, you have a point. I tend to give people too much credit. Of course, when I am very specific in an attempt to avoid this kind of thing, and later point out that I didn't say what I was claimed to have said, I am accused of nitpicking or backtracking. Life is hard. I wil try to do it now.
By chartering a plane to Hawaii, I meant chartering a plane to Hawaii the way Iowa or Iowa State would charter a plane to, for instance, Maryland or Oklahoma. You call up a charter carrier and say you need an airplane to take your team and coaches there and back.
I find it hard to believe Arizona does that for trips to Hawaii. The expense would just be ridiculous. Instead of a couple of King Airs or the equivalent, you'd need a 737. Moreover, the cost of chartering an airplane grows considerably when it isn't just a one-day trip because either the plane and its crew need to make two roundtrips, or the plane has to sit idle for several days AND the crew has to have accommodations and meals, etc. Not only does that involve costs for hangar space, but much more important, that's a period when the plane is out of service and can't earn anything for the owner.
I checked online for estimates, and for 24 people -- I'm figuring on the players, managers, coaches -- a roundtrip jet charter from Tucson to Hawaii would run from $200,000 to $500,000....and the site stipulates that if there is a layover -- which there would have been in this case -- the price increases considerably. The entire party could fly first class commercial for a fraction of that cost. A dedicated charter for the team only just makes no sense whatever.
I'm not calling the 'Zona guy a liar. Obviously, the team flew on a chartered jet to Hawaii. I just think that in light of the cost, it's highly likely there was some kind of package involved. I think we've all seen these advertised..."Fly with the Hawkeyes to Puerto Rico" or something like that. The fans get to rub elbows with the players and coaches, spend a few days at the site, watch the games, etc.
