March Madness is beloved for its chaos, but the NCAA would prefer to limit the chaos to the basketball court.
Airline travel has been an increasingly contentious issue in the United States over the past year, and it could impact the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournament later this month.
“The NCAA sent out a memo last week to all schools to give them notice [of] a potential major logistical issue later this month: airline travel for both NCAA basketball tournaments, starting on Selection Sunday,” CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander reported.
CNN’s Dana O’Neil also reported, “CAA is facing an uphill battle with a shortage of charter plane availability for men’s and women’s NCAA Tournament. Member schools have been notified to expect some upheaval that could include refueling, late notice of departure times. Team manifests due this week.”
Norlander relayed the NCAA’s official statement, as written below:
“Nationwide, significantly fewer charter aircraft are available due to several factors outside of NCAA control. The logistical challenge of moving almost all participating teams for both tournaments within 12-72 hours beginning (Selection) Sunday night is compounded by the busy spring break travel season, the national shortage of charter aircraft nationwide and the potential TSA impact of the partial government shutdown. While the NCAA assured all participating teams they will get to where they need to go safely.
The NCAA also advised all teams that extreme flexibility, especially the first week of the championships, will be necessary.”
Norlander noted this development as “precautionary” but warned of “some tight turnaround situations.”
Selection Sunday for the men’s and women’s 2026 NCAA Tournament is scheduled for March 15. The men’s and women’s First Four games will be played on March 17 and 18. The men’s national championship game will take place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on April 6, while the women’s national championship will take place at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on April 5.
All dates and locations for the men’s NCAA Tournament are available here, and the women’s NCAA Tournament schedule is here.
The Florida Gators and UConn Huskies are the reigning men’s and women’s NCAA Division I basketball champions, respectively.
