Michigan State University paid $72K for flights since October; athletic department used state planes for 23 trips

Michigan State University paid more than $72,000 for flights provided by the Michigan Department of Transportation since the agency resumed offering them to state universities in October, according to state records. 

The State Journal reported earlier this month that MDOT had resumed offering the flights, but MSU officials refused to discuss the university’s involvement.

MDOT suspended such flights for about four months last summer after the Federal Aviation Authority launched an investigation of the state’s use of its planes.

The FAA hasn’t disclosed the exact focus of its review, but state officials have said they believe the FAA is suggesting that MSU athletics could be outside the scope of state government, which would make those flights “commercial” in nature. That would require MDOT to obtain new certification to lease the planes to MSU.

State officials said last year they would suspend the program pending the conclusion of the FAA review. However, Jeff Cranson, MDOT spokesman, said earlier this month that the agency had a change of heart after agency officials, and the state Attorney General’s Office, reviewed MDOT’s policy and concluded it was in compliance with FAA regulations.

Cranson said because MDOT planes are operated as civil aircraft under FAA regulations, and because state colleges and universities are legally defined as state government entities, there is “no basis to restrict their use as customers of the service.”

FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory would say only that the 10-month FAA investigation is ongoing. Officials of the State Attorney General’s Office have declined to discuss the review, saying they are restricted by client-attorney confidentiality.

MSU athletics department employees, including coaches, took 23 flights between Oct. 30, 2013, and March 31, costing $72,779, according to quarterly reports prepared by MDOT.

Frequent fliers included men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo, football coach Mark Dantonio and women’s basketball coach Suzy Merchant.

Izzo, Merchant and Dantonio were flown separately from Lansing to Chicago at various times in February and March at costs ranging from $3,357 to $1,294. They are listed as the sole passengers on the flights.

MSU Athletics Department officials said the flights often are taken for recruiting purposes. Officials say the department pays the state for use of the planes and “no state funds nor tuition dollars are used to pay for the charter.”

MSU’s athletics department is self-sufficient and doesn’t use money from the university’s general fund.

Five years of logs
 
The FAA began reviewing the state’s aviation program after the State Journal published a story in June 2012 on state planes and their uses.

After viewing five years’ worth of trip logs, the paper reported MSU men’s head basketball coach Tom Izzo and MSU head football coach Mark Dantonio were among the most frequent fliers.

MSU employees and guests used the planes at least 150 times during the five-year period.

Pays per-hour fee
 
MDOT makes its four passenger planes available to state employees and employees of Michigan’s 15 four-year public universities who can justify the cost of traveling in them for work purposes.

Any university or state department that uses the planes reimburses MDOT for the expense.

The MSU athletics department pays MDOT a per-hour fee to use the planes, and the state planes are one of several charter options that the athletics department uses, officials said.
 
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