Ban On Air Canada Flights Puts NHL In Penalty Box
Air Canada's restricted domestic flights created a problem for NHL transportation. Hockey players may be forced to skate across the border to meet game times.
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Ban On Air Canada Flights Puts NHL In Penalty Box
Taylor Jensen writes about Dish Network at http://usdish.com, is considered an expert in the field of satellite TV, HD TV, DVR technology, and has published hundreds of articles informing consumers about what to look for when considering satellite TV for your home.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has made a very peculiar ruling against Air Canada. In support of the Washington, D.C.-based Air Line Pilots Association, the ruling states that the airline can fly from Canada to U.S. cities, but not between U.S. cities without first returning to Canada.
This, after an eight-year exemption that had allowed sports charters to make several domestic U.S. stops without crossing back over.
On first blush this might not appear to be a big deal, but when you consider the fact that Canada has six National Hockey League teams that each travel to the United States to play extended road trips, this can easily become a logistical nightmare. Many of these upcoming road games will be played back-to-back.
NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly warns the charter ban will create a complicated “patchwork” of travel that could “wreck havoc” with the oncoming hockey schedule.
“It’s potentially a very significant impact,” Mr. Daly said Friday. “It’s crazy and very destabilizing to our business. We’re operating on a long-standing interpretation and for it to change overnight on the eve of our season is creating a huge problem for us.”
The NHL pre-season starts in less than a week. Here’s a small scheduling sample to get a feel for how this will impact teams. The Montreal Canadiens are at the Tampa Bay Lightning on December 30th, and then at the Florida Panthers on December 31st. Under the new law, Montreal will have to do one of two things. Fly back to Canada after the game in Tampa Bay – a roundtrip total of 2,612 miles – or charter a domestic U.S. flight to Miami, a mere 204 miles. This option leaves their chartered Air Canada flight either on the ground in Tampa for at least a day or back to Montreal empty.
This isn’t even the worst of it for Montreal. On March 2nd they’re at the Boston Bruins, March 4th at the San Jose Sharks, March 6th at the Los Angeles Kings, and March 7th at the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. I don’t even want to do the math, but suffice it to say it’s somewhere around a million frequent flyer miles if they have to go back and forth after each game.
Air Canada executive vice president Duncan Dee predicts “chaos” for teams crossing the border. “It’s extremely messy for both American and Canadian teams,” he said.
This ruling doesn’t just affect Air Canada. Miami Air International, a Florida-based company that provides charter sports services for five U.S.-based NHL teams was told to cancel nearly 60 flights to Canada in September for NHL preseason games.
In a sagging global economy this is a decision that just seems absurd. It’s clear the U.S. Department of Transportation doesn’t watch hockey.
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