Regents approve charter agreement with Great Plains Airlines

<br>OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ University regents approved a $175,000 agreement with a Tulsa airline Friday that will fly Oklahoma State's basketball teams to its remaining games this season. <br><br>The

Friday, January 25th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ University regents approved a $175,000 agreement with a Tulsa airline Friday that will fly Oklahoma State's basketball teams to its remaining games this season.

The men's and women's teams will fly in a 32-seat charter jet with Great Plains Airlines.

The move came at the recommendation of a task force created after last year's plane crash that killed 10 men associated with the men's basketball program. They were killed when a twin-engine turbo-prop aircraft crashed in a field near Byers, Colo., after the team played the University of Colorado in Boulder.

The task force included university officials, aircraft experts and parents of some of the crash victims. A final report from the group is expected in the next few months.

``Developing guidelines with the potential to become the national standard for student athletic team travel is not only a prudent response to last year's tragedy, but one more way OSU and the families can honor the 10 men we lost,'' OSU President James Halligan said.

The OSU regents also passed a resolution to send a letter to the insurance company handling the families' claims, calling for a fair and quick settlement.

``We believe it is in everyone's best interest to resolve the outstanding issues sooner rather than later,'' said Doug Burns, chairman of the regents.