As tough as the University of Hawai'i's football road schedule is projected to be this season, getting to and from the games at an affordable price may be a bigger challenge for the Warriors.

The bankruptcies of Aloha Airlines and ATA upset earlier plans and, coupled with record-high fuel prices, mean not only are the Warriors having trouble getting some of the flights they want but the prices they pay for the charters they secure might more than triple those of last year, athletic director Jim Donovan said yesterday.

"Charter costs are just unbelievable now for us," Donovan said. "It is getting to be stratospheric."

For example, Donovan said the Warriors paid $85,000 to charter to San Jose, Calif. for last year's game with the Spartans and $125,000 to Idaho for the game with the Vandals, but have been quoted a $319,000 fare for Fresno State this year.

With a school-record-tying six road games on the schedule, the costs figure to hit hard a budget already projected to run $1.5 million in the red for the upcoming fiscal year that begins July 1.

UH, like the traveling public, is at the mercy of rapidly rising jet fuel costs. Fuel that was $52 a barrel in January 2007 when UH secured last season's air travel has rocketed to more than $120 a barrel. Moreover, Aloha Airlines, which has carried the bulk of UH charters in recent years, shut down March 31. ATA, a low-cost operator between Hawai'i and the West Coast, ceased operations three days later.

"Aloha Airlines had planes here so they would fly us over and bring us back but with some of the others they'd have to fly an empty plane over or back and those costs, including the gasoline, add up," Donovan said.

As a result, Donovan said the Warriors may look to a mix of commercial and charter flights this season.

"Combos are going to have to become more of a reality," Donovan said.

The Warriors had hoped to charter from Honolulu to Gainesville, Fla., for their season-opening game at Florida. But the limited availability of affordable charters means they will fly commercially to and from Atlanta and only charter between Atlanta and Gainesville, officials said.

"We found only one company that would fly us to Florida but they couldn't get us in there (Gainesville) the day before the game," Donovan said.