UH wants to have the team return home between its back-to-back nonconference road games, but rising airfares are making that costly

HSA Note: "Travel, at nearly 15 percent, is the athletic department's third-largest expense after salaries and benefits and scholarships. With traveling groups of 80 for each trip, football is the biggest travel spender at upwards of $1 million per year. UH is expected to travel more than 35,000 miles this season."


About how he is "leaning toward" having the team return home between their games at Washington and UNLV in September, but rising airfares might make that hard for them to afford, JD said:
"Because of (missed class time), we'd really, really like to get the student-athletes back (to campus) after the first (road) game. But if the cost is going to be exorbitant, then we'll have to look at remaining on the mainland." (HSA)


HSA Note: "Donovan estimates UH could save three days of classes by coming home immediately after the Sept. 10 game with Washington in Seattle, instead of remaining on the mainland leading up to the Sept. 17 game at UNLV. But he said that doesn't appear to be possible by commercial flight and the school is attempting to find a charter that fits its time constraints and budget."


HSA Note: "Donovan said it didn't make sense for UH to play at West Point, N.Y., last year, fly home and then head out to Colorado three days later. In addition, UH estimated it saved about $50,000 by not returning home."


JD said that since they could get direct flights to Seattle and Vegas:
"even though it might cost us a little more, you want to try to balance that with the amount of time they are going to be away from school. I think it is important to cut down on missed class time if we can." (HSA)

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