Championship travel presents unique challenges in an area already filled with uncertainty and confusion. Airline travel these days often comes with long lines, disgruntled passengers and security screenings that add hours to what used to be a routine trip. Combine that with the stress involved in transporting large groups to sites in a matter of days -- as is required after NCAA championships fields are selected -- and emotions tend to run even higher.

So when the NCAA announced in May 2003 that it was changing travel providers, skepticism ran high as to how the new company would be able to handle the membership's complex travel needs.

The NCAA selected Short's Travel Management to replace its previous travel-service provider, WorldTek, which had fulfilled the function for more than two decades.

The change was made as part of a comprehensive review of best business practices that coincided with WorldTek's contract expiration. Short's was selected from six finalists in part for the wide range of services provided -- from championships travel to committee travel to Convention arrangements. Several companies coveted various aspects of the NCAA's expansive travel needs, but Short's was one of the few to bid on the entire package.

Short's faced several challenges during its transitional year. One, in wanting to meet performance standards set by the NCAA, Short's was interested in adhering to NCAA travel policies that had been in place for many years. Two, Short's personnel had little or no knowledge of travel accommodations that had been provided previously to institutions with unique or otherwise difficult travel circumstances. Three, not having been through the unique challenges that NCAA championships pose to any travel provider, Short's had nothing with which to compare that experience. Even a simulated exercise performed in September 2003 could not deliver all the complexity experienced during March Madness.

Meanwhile, athletics administrators accustomed to a familiar agent or set of procedures were sometimes thrown off course by a new voice or direction during a time at which tensions already were flying high.

Such was the case at times last year when some administrators thought the process for arranging travel to NCAA championships was more turbulent than before. Some were concerned with the availability of charters, or with flights not being confirmed until just hours before departing for championship sites, or with travel parties being split. Some in fact noticed such a change in service that they thought the NCAA had changed the travel policies without telling anyone.

For Short's, the way to improve the experience was to pull up on the throttle and circle the landing strip a year later for a better approach. Now that the "year later" has arrived, Short's and NCAA members believe they are better suited for landing in large part because of a concerted effort to reach out to constituents, walk up to whatever shortcomings -- perceived or otherwise -- that the membership thought existed last year, and work to do something about it.

Airing the concerns

A pivotal factor in the improvement of service was a survey sent to all who flew to a championship event in 2003-04 and a membership focus group formed to hammer out the issues.

"The NCAA and Short's recognized the concerns and thought it was appropriate to address the issues. That recognition and the effort to convene the parties involved turned a potential problem into a positive," said Scott Schuhmann, focus group participant and associate director of athletics at Stanford University. "Getting everyone around the table gave Short's some valuable learning, and we as NCAA representatives came to understand that from Short's perspective, it was difficult for them to know what to expect until they actually went through the process."

Focus-group participants were selected in part because of the unusual circumstances they had gone through last year and also because of the frequency with which they interact with the championships travel process. Schuhmann joined Sandy Barbour from the University of Notre Dame (now at the University of California, Berkeley); Frank Crumley from the University of Georgia; Peggy Brown from Michigan State University; and Dawn Reynolds from the University of Miami (Florida) in the discussions. Reynolds also is a past president of the College Athletic Business Management Association, which has provided feedback on the process and is assisting the NCAA travel staff in distributing information and communicating with its membership.

The majority of concerns dealt with moving Division I basketball teams in the short time frame between Selection Sunday and games a few days later, but other sports raised flags as well.

Brown's Michigan State men's basketball team had to charter from Detroit rather than nearby Lansing, which they had departed from in previous years. NCAA Travel Coordinator Juanita Sheely said that while Short's and the NCAA travel staff have committed to doing everything possible to avoid that kind of situation in the future, the reality is that it isn't always possible to use the local airport.

"There are times when the regional airport can't handle the type of aircraft that is available to operate the flight," Sheely noted. "For example, the runways may not be large enough for a jet, or the regional airport doesn't have the equipment to handle the aircraft type. Even if the team is able to charter out of its local airport for regular-season travel, it may not always be possible during championships as there may not be enough time before departure to secure the proper clearances for various charter providers to service the local airport."

Sheely said in that situation, the team may have to travel to a major airport that can handle the aircraft type that is available, which is in line with NCAA travel policies that require a Division I team to travel to a "major" airport within 120 miles of its campus.

Another example of what focus group members perceived as an inconsistency was the fact that the Notre Dame women's basketball team was booked on a commercial flight rather than a charter on its trip to regional play. While that in itself was a change of pace to Notre Dame personnel, matters became worse when they realized their team was one of only two participants in the regional round not chartering, which became a competitive-equity concern.

Other issues cited in the surveys regarded a lack of adequate travel options and concerns about Short's ability to resolve travel issues or return calls quickly. However, many survey respondents also complimented Short's for its courteous representatives, accurate billing and proper handling of flight deviations due to weather.

"There were some problems, as was to be expected," Sheely said, "but the good news is that most of the them can be solved."

Short's comprehensive review of NCAA travel needs already has prompted several technology-based initiatives that have reduced the time a caller has to wait on hold to speak with an agent. Those changes have greatly improved how agents communicate flight options and information with the airlines. Short's also used focus-group feedback to make additional adjustments that will be effective this year, many of which are unprecedented additions to the NCAA travel process.

Suggestions for change

Among the more significant improvements designed specifically for Division I basketball include:

* The term "reasonable flight options" has been redefined to mean that the team, coaches and support staff (up to 25 people) will fly together whenever possible and will have no more than two connections.

* Teams that have reasonable commercial options will be allowed to take a charter and pay the difference in cost, but such teams will be given charter options only after all teams with no commercial options have been confirmed.

* Teams will receive confirmed flight information no later than 18 hours before departure, unless emergency situations occur, as long as they have met the deadlines for roster and flight preferences.

* A "Things to Know" document has been created for member institutions and officials to help educate the membership on travel matters and set travelers' expectations.

* Short's will attempt to assign agents to particular teams throughout their participation in the tournament.

* The Web-based championships portal has been enhanced, allowing earlier access to more users. Manifests will be available in Excel format so that administrators can pull them from the Web site and use them for other purposes (rather than having to retype a manifest to use as a rooming list, for example). Championship hosts also will be able to input local information and receive flight information for the teams at that site, simplifying practice-time arrangements and ground transportation coordination.

Greg Shaheen, NCAA vice-president for Division I men's basketball and championship strategies, said the improvements made to the championships portal are significant, since so much information has to change hands among Short's, the teams involved and the hosts.

"That all will be managed in the portal system," Shaheen said. "So, for example, when Short's completes a team's travel arrangements, the host tournament manager can see when that team is departing and arriving right from the portal, so that will cut down on the need for back-and-forth communication between administrators and the host tournament manager. That all happens in the critical period of about 48 to 72 hours after the tournament bracket is announced."

Other recommendations from focus group participants included urging Short's to anticipate travel options once the tournaments begin. Stanford's Schuhmann said Short's might at least take a preliminary look at how to get tournament teams home after a loss. Even if that could be done only when the tournament is pared down to the final eight or 16 teams -- because of the time involved -- it would help for teams to have options in mind beforehand.

Similarly, Brown encouraged negotiations with airlines on the front end to ensure enough aircraft in crunch times. She said that may have been an issue last year when a snowstorm on the East Coast complicated travel in March.

"You've got to find a way to have some options before the tournament announcement is made because they know from experience that they don't have enough commercial flights to get everyone where they need to go," she said. "Is it going to cost money to do that? Sure, but championships are pretty important to the Association, and anything they could do to make them a better experience for student-athletes and minimize competitive-equity concerns should be a priority."

The NCAA's Sheely said discussions are ongoing with charter companies for advance commitments of aircraft and crew. The primary carriers from last year in fact have indicated interest in submitting proposals, creating a fleet of availability and making the process smoother for everyone involved. They also are charged with providing more timely confirmation of travel arrangements (see related story below).

"The goal is to reduce the dependence on what the airlines have 'left' and thus minimize the length of time before arrangements are confirmed," she said. Sheely noted that possibilities include "pre-booking" a set number of aircraft and crew that cannot be pulled from NCAA travel needs, and pre-negotiating a set number of hours or flight segments with charter companies to obtain a competitive price structure.

Managing expectations

While focus-group members praised Short's representatives for their willingness to initiate improvements, they recognized that institutional personnel also need to manage their expectations for championships travel. That means members should familiarize themselves with the travel policies and prepare to be as flexible as possible after selections are announced.

It also means dealing with perceptions. Sue Donohoe, NCAA vice-president for Division I women's basketball, said some of last year's concerns could have been abated had perception not trumped reality.

"Among some members in women's basketball, for example, there's a perception that on Selection Sunday, Short's completes all the men's travel and then the women's, which in their mind puts the women's teams at a disadvantage," Donohoe said. "The reality is that Short's works the accounts of the teams that need to move first. In basketball, that happens to be the men's teams. Short's moves the teams that have to be on site Thursday before they move the ones that have to be on site Friday, and the men's teams that play on Friday are moved before the women's teams that play on Saturday.

"The second misperception is that people think if Short's schedules a charter for the Penn State men, for example, then that charter will pick up the Penn State men and stay with them, and thus commit that one plane for good. The reality is that the charter will take the Penn State men to Chicago, drop them there and pick up the DePaul men and take them to Birmingham and pick up the Alabama men and take them to Minneapolis. We had one piece of equipment move four women's teams last year within about 16 hours."

Donohoe said a third misperception is that Division I basketball is the only thing going on in March. "That's wrong, too," she said. "Short's also is moving ice hockey, swimming, wrestling, bowling, fencing, gymnastics, and Divisions II and III basketball at that time."

Michigan State's Brown also reminded institutions that while it's nice to know as much information as early as possible -- even if it isn't final -- people have to own up to the consequences when they relay preliminary information as fact.

For example, she said in her position as the point person for travel at Michigan State, she needs to know what options Short's is considering even if they're not finalized, so she can communicate with coaches and others who can plan ahead while realizing that things still could change.

"That's where we tended to shut down last year," concedes Kristin Fratzke, NCAA account director at Short's. "We'd try to give information to schools that, you have a charter, it will be with XYZ company and it appears it will be a 10 a.m. departure, but we're waiting for final confirmation to come from the provider. Then we would get that final confirmation, and it would be a 1 p.m. departure. The school's travel coordinator had told their entire travel party they'd leave at 10 and now they're leaving at 1, and that would throw them into a tailspin. As this started happening, we took a step back and thought it best to hold the information until we received final confirmation. The teams then felt we weren't communicating with them.

"We're really working on that because overall, the largest criticism we received was in the area of communication," Fratzke said.

Brown said she understands when a travel provider is reluctant to share preliminary information because some people who interpret it as final become upset when they learn it isn't and they've told several colleagues that it is. But Brown also said that practice punishes teams who treat the information properly.

"It's a fine line -- and it's probably about relationships -- between having to share information even though it's not final and having no information at all," Brown said. "At the same time, if Short's says it isn't final, the institution needs to abide by that and plan accordingly. If you decide to share that information, then you better say it's not final."

"We're going to find the happy medium this year," Fratzke pledged.

Cleared for take-off

Focus-group participants say they reached a comfort level after their meeting with Short's that they didn't have coming in. Most are pleased not only with the effort both parties made to improve the system, but with the actual changes to it.

Brown said both sides came away with a new understanding.

"There are some issues with teams' expectations," she said, "but I also think Short's learned a lot and found things they might have done differently or things they might have asked about that may not have occurred to them."

"Everyone on the focus group had their nightmare stories," Schuhmann said. "Those stories were not raised merely as gripes, but as examples of where improvements might be made or as examples of competitive-equity concerns that Short's would not have known otherwise. It's a good sign that the NCAA and Short's recognized the concerns and put together this focus group to try and reconcile the issues and make the system better for all institutions."

Donohoe said the focus group agreed to reconvene next year to provide continued feedback, but if the improvements for this year have their desired impact, the meeting may not last as long and the documents emerging from it may not be as lengthy.

"The first year of transition was difficult, but the reality is that there are some things that will be challenging and difficult to understand no matter who is managing the service," she said. "Equipment and crew availability, weather issues -- you get equipment pulled from availability, or you get crews no longer available because they've logged too many hours, and you're in a tailspin. Some of that is going to happen no matter the provider and some of that may happen every year.

"But Short's worked with the focus group to at least listen to what made people unhappy last year. And to the extent they could address those concerns, they did."

Shaheen added, "Because of the magnitude of the job and the ever-changing airline industry, it was important that we watch, listen, learn and commit to building the system over future years -- which is what everyone -- Short's, the NCAA travel staff and institutional business administrators -- has worked together to do. We are building a system to better serve the membership, with clear guidelines, yet reasonable flexibility given the complexity of the problems inherent in trying to move large groups in a short time."

Because of that collaborative effort, perhaps the only turbulence for teams selected to participate in NCAA championships this year will be on the courts and fields instead of in the skies.