FOOTBALL NOTES
UH may offer seats to public on charters

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

The University of Hawai'i football team is exploring the possibility of selling seats to the public on charter flights to road games.

Last year, the Warriors used an Aloha Airlines' 124-seat, 737-700 jet to travel to four road games. They flew commercial for the fifth game, to play Rice in Houston, because Continental Airlines offered a direct flight.

It cost UH $96,000 to charter to and from the Mainland, $20,000 more than a commercial roundtrip fare. But UH officials have said charter flights enable the team to leave later, saving the school money in hotel expenses and meals.

Selling seats on a charter to UH fans will further offset travel costs.

UH has six road games this coming season. If a new charter deal can be worked out, the Warriors will return to Honolulu between road games against Southern California Sept. 13 and Nevada-Las Vegas Sept. 20. If not, UH will remain in California after the USC game.

Another change pondered: The game against UNLV might be moved up a night, to Friday, Sept. 19, to accommodate regional television.

Because it is a road game, the possible change would not alter UH's plans to begin selling season tickets this month.

Last month, UH announced it was moving the home game against Boise State from Nov. 8 to Dec. 6 at the request of ESPN, which wanted to include the meeting as part of Championship Week. So far, that game is UH's only scheduled appearance on national television. ABC has expressed interest in televising the USC game.

Roster deletions: Defensive end Kaipo Patoc and cornerback Josiah Cravalho are no longer on the Warriors' spring roster. It is not known if they will rejoin the team in the fall.

UH still is awaiting word on the eligibility of Tony Tata, a former Saint Louis School linebacker. Tata was supposed to be a fifth-year senior at Nebraska in 2002, but he left the team and moved back to Hawai'i because of a family emergency. He is enrolled at UH, and has petitioned the NCAA for an extra season.