New federal airport security measures for charter flights could add delays to the road itineraries of Kansas University’s football team this fall.
“We anticipate increased security,” said Richard Konzem, KU senior associate athletic director. “We know we’ll have to screen.”
The Jayhawks will be flying American Airlines charters out of Topeka’s Forbes Field to four of their six road games Iowa State, Nevada-Las Vegas, Tulsa and Baylor. They will take charter buses to Missouri and Nebraska.
Last year the KU football team flew Vanguard Airlines charters out of Kansas City International Airport.
In the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, KU officials expected increased security measures for their ensuing 2001 football charter flights, but that wasn’t the case because tighter charter security wasn’t mandated until this month.
Thus buses hauling KU personnel were able to drive onto the KCI tarmac and directly to the aircraft without going through security in the terminal building.
“Security met us with bomb-sniffing dogs around the buses,” Konzem said, “but it ended up being fairly easy.”
At Forbes Field, the KU players, coaches, administrators etc., will have to go through security in the terminal, which again shouldn’t be too time-consuming because the Topeka airport is not served by a commercial airline and isn’t crowded.
Return flights could be another story, however, particularly on the weekend of Sept. 7 when the Jayhawks will be playing at Nevada-Las Vegas, where McCarran Airport is heavily utilized by commercial carriers. Potentially, it could take the Jayhawks longer than expected to depart Las Vegas because they’ll be leaving late at night when fewer security personnel are working.
“That could be a challenge,” Konzem said of the return journey from Las Vegas.
Kickoff for the UNLV-Kansas game is scheduled for 7 p.m. PDT, or 9 p.m., Lawrence time. Konzem has estimated a 4 a.m. Sunday campus return, but a security hang-up at the Las Vegas airport might make that estimate optimistic.
Professional teams are more concerned than the colleges about the tighter charter restrictions because they take most of their equipment helmets, shoulder pads, etc. with them.
However, most colleges in major conferences Kansas included do not send equipment on their flight. Instead they pack it into a tractor-trailer ahead of time and ship it via 18-wheeler to the game site. KU contracts with CBC Express, a Lawrence trucking firm which operates a trailer customized to haul football gear.
“By trucking our equipment,” Konzem said, “we eliminate the majority of luggage problems.”
Luggage was a problem when the Kansas University men’s basketball team returned from an NCAA regional tournament in Charlotte back in March of 1991. The KU team and a large contingent of boosters took a charter flight for the return home after the Jayhawks had stunned Arkansas to advance to the NCAA Final Four.
“It was during the Gulf War and security was the tightest I can remember,” Konzem said. “We had 130 people and that turned out to be a long and involved process.”
New charter flight rules will take effect on Aug. 19. That’s 11 days before the Jayhawks will fly to Des Moines, then bus to Ames for their season opener against Iowa State.
New federal airport security measures for charter flights could add delays to the road itineraries of Kansas University’s football team this fall.
“We anticipate increased security,” said Richard Konzem, KU senior associate athletic director. “We know we’ll have to screen.”
The Jayhawks will be flying American Airlines charters out of Topeka’s Forbes Field to four of their six road games Iowa State, Nevada-Las Vegas, Tulsa and Baylor. They will take charter buses to Missouri and Nebraska.
Last year the KU football team flew Vanguard Airlines charters out of Kansas City International Airport.
In the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, KU officials expected increased security measures for their ensuing 2001 football charter flights, but that wasn’t the case because tighter charter security wasn’t mandated until this month.
Thus buses hauling KU personnel were able to drive onto the KCI tarmac and directly to the aircraft without going through security in the terminal building.
“Security met us with bomb-sniffing dogs around the buses,” Konzem said, “but it ended up being fairly easy.”
At Forbes Field, the KU players, coaches, administrators etc., will have to go through security in the terminal, which again shouldn’t be too time-consuming because the Topeka airport is not served by a commercial airline and isn’t crowded.
Return flights could be another story, however, particularly on the weekend of Sept. 7 when the Jayhawks will be playing at Nevada-Las Vegas, where McCarran Airport is heavily utilized by commercial carriers. Potentially, it could take the Jayhawks longer than expected to depart Las Vegas because they’ll be leaving late at night when fewer security personnel are working.
“That could be a challenge,” Konzem said of the return journey from Las Vegas.
Kickoff for the UNLV-Kansas game is scheduled for 7 p.m. PDT, or 9 p.m., Lawrence time. Konzem has estimated a 4 a.m. Sunday campus return, but a security hang-up at the Las Vegas airport might make that estimate optimistic.
Professional teams are more concerned than the colleges about the tighter charter restrictions because they take most of their equipment helmets, shoulder pads, etc. with them.
However, most colleges in major conferences Kansas included do not send equipment on their flight. Instead they pack it into a tractor-trailer ahead of time and ship it via 18-wheeler to the game site. KU contracts with CBC Express, a Lawrence trucking firm which operates a trailer customized to haul football gear.
“By trucking our equipment,” Konzem said, “we eliminate the majority of luggage problems.”
Luggage was a problem when the Kansas University men’s basketball team returned from an NCAA regional tournament in Charlotte back in March of 1991. The KU team and a large contingent of boosters took a charter flight for the return home after the Jayhawks had stunned Arkansas to advance to the NCAA Final Four.
“It was during the Gulf War and security was the tightest I can remember,” Konzem said. “We had 130 people and that turned out to be a long and involved process.”
New charter flight rules will take effect on Aug. 19. That’s 11 days before the Jayhawks will fly to Des Moines, then bus to Ames for their season opener against Iowa State.
New federal airport security measures for charter flights could add delays to the road itineraries of Kansas University’s football team this fall.
“We anticipate increased security,” said Richard Konzem, KU senior associate athletic director. “We know we’ll have to screen.”
The Jayhawks will be flying American Airlines charters out of Topeka’s Forbes Field to four of their six road games Iowa State, Nevada-Las Vegas, Tulsa and Baylor. They will take charter buses to Missouri and Nebraska.
Last year the KU football team flew Vanguard Airlines charters out of Kansas City International Airport.
In the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, KU officials expected increased security measures for their ensuing 2001 football charter flights, but that wasn’t the case because tighter charter security wasn’t mandated until this month.
Thus buses hauling KU personnel were able to drive onto the KCI tarmac and directly to the aircraft without going through security in the terminal building.
“Security met us with bomb-sniffing dogs around the buses,” Konzem said, “but it ended up being fairly easy.”
At Forbes Field, the KU players, coaches, administrators etc., will have to go through security in the terminal, which again shouldn’t be too time-consuming because the Topeka airport is not served by a commercial airline and isn’t crowded.
Return flights could be another story, however, particularly on the weekend of Sept. 7 when the Jayhawks will be playing at Nevada-Las Vegas, where McCarran Airport is heavily utilized by commercial carriers. Potentially, it could take the Jayhawks longer than expected to depart Las Vegas because they’ll be leaving late at night when fewer security personnel are working.
“That could be a challenge,” Konzem said of the return journey from Las Vegas.
Kickoff for the UNLV-Kansas game is scheduled for 7 p.m. PDT, or 9 p.m., Lawrence time. Konzem has estimated a 4 a.m. Sunday campus return, but a security hang-up at the Las Vegas airport might make that estimate optimistic.
Professional teams are more concerned than the colleges about the tighter charter restrictions because they take most of their equipment helmets, shoulder pads, etc. with them.
However, most colleges in major conferences Kansas included do not send equipment on their flight. Instead they pack it into a tractor-trailer ahead of time and ship it via 18-wheeler to the game site. KU contracts with CBC Express, a Lawrence trucking firm which operates a trailer customized to haul football gear.
“By trucking our equipment,” Konzem said, “we eliminate the majority of luggage problems.”
Luggage was a problem when the Kansas University men’s basketball team returned from an NCAA regional tournament in Charlotte back in March of 1991. The KU team and a large contingent of boosters took a charter flight for the return home after the Jayhawks had stunned Arkansas to advance to the NCAA Final Four.
“It was during the Gulf War and security was the tightest I can remember,” Konzem said. “We had 130 people and that turned out to be a long and involved process.”
New charter flight rules will take effect on Aug. 19. That’s 11 days before the Jayhawks will fly to Des Moines, then bus to Ames for their season opener against Iowa State.
New federal airport security measures for charter flights could add delays to the road itineraries of Kansas University’s football team this fall.
“We anticipate increased security,” said Richard Konzem, KU senior associate athletic director. “We know we’ll have to screen.”
The Jayhawks will be flying American Airlines charters out of Topeka’s Forbes Field to four of their six road games Iowa State, Nevada-Las Vegas, Tulsa and Baylor. They will take charter buses to Missouri and Nebraska.
Last year the KU football team flew Vanguard Airlines charters out of Kansas City International Airport.
In the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, KU officials expected increased security measures for their ensuing 2001 football charter flights, but that wasn’t the case because tighter charter security wasn’t mandated until this month.
Thus buses hauling KU personnel were able to drive onto the KCI tarmac and directly to the aircraft without going through security in the terminal building.
“Security met us with bomb-sniffing dogs around the buses,” Konzem said, “but it ended up being fairly easy.”
At Forbes Field, the KU players, coaches, administrators etc., will have to go through security in the terminal, which again shouldn’t be too time-consuming because the Topeka airport is not served by a commercial airline and isn’t crowded.
Return flights could be another story, however, particularly on the weekend of Sept. 7 when the Jayhawks will be playing at Nevada-Las Vegas, where McCarran Airport is heavily utilized by commercial carriers. Potentially, it could take the Jayhawks longer than expected to depart Las Vegas because they’ll be leaving late at night when fewer security personnel are working.
“That could be a challenge,” Konzem said of the return journey from Las Vegas.
Kickoff for the UNLV-Kansas game is scheduled for 7 p.m. PDT, or 9 p.m., Lawrence time. Konzem has estimated a 4 a.m. Sunday campus return, but a security hang-up at the Las Vegas airport might make that estimate optimistic.
Professional teams are more concerned than the colleges about the tighter charter restrictions because they take most of their equipment helmets, shoulder pads, etc. with them.
However, most colleges in major conferences Kansas included do not send equipment on their flight. Instead they pack it into a tractor-trailer ahead of time and ship it via 18-wheeler to the game site. KU contracts with CBC Express, a Lawrence trucking firm which operates a trailer customized to haul football gear.
“By trucking our equipment,” Konzem said, “we eliminate the majority of luggage problems.”
Luggage was a problem when the Kansas University men’s basketball team returned from an NCAA regional tournament in Charlotte back in March of 1991. The KU team and a large contingent of boosters took a charter flight for the return home after the Jayhawks had stunned Arkansas to advance to the NCAA Final Four.
“It was during the Gulf War and security was the tightest I can remember,” Konzem said. “We had 130 people and that turned out to be a long and involved process.”
New charter flight rules will take effect on Aug. 19. That’s 11 days before the Jayhawks will fly to Des Moines, then bus to Ames for their season opener against Iowa State.
