Canadian NHL teams facing travel issues

[SweWings 45]

Wow, this is retarded. The Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, is a moron when it comes to border issues with our cousin, ally, and largest trading partner to the north. Earlier this year she mistakenly said the 9/11 hijackers came into the US through the Canadian border (obviously untrue). She also announced that the US was going to start treating the northern border with Canada just like the southern one with Mexico, because it wouldn't be fair to play favorites. Later she admitted that she had never been to the Canadian border at all.

CBC article

Yeah, because USA-Mexico and USA-Canada relationships work exactly the same way. I get the theory (NAFTA) but practically you can't treat the two borders the same way. Besides Mexico doesn't have teams in any American leagues, or vice versa, do they? There's no way the Department of Transportation looks good by doing this - being anti-sports and treating NHL-teams as if they're a security risk are not exactly great positions to take.

[Guest Four]

That's it, I'm going to become an illegal immigrant by flying to the US on an Air Canada plane!

...seriously?

[beepbeep 3]

This whole thing started because the Pilot's Union filed a protest with the FAA, which then ruled that Air Canada was in fact in violation of a rule that Foreign carriers are allowed to bring passengers into and out of the country, but are not allowed to pickup additional passengers and transfer them to other cities within the country.

[GORM19 0]

Somewhere I'm smelling a Bettman vs. Balsille thing right in the middle of this. I can just see Gary going to the US DOT and saying " Is there a way we could make it so that Canadian teams can't get in our country, you know, just to screw with their heads." And then Balsille moves his Rook to cover the Queen, just for posturing sake. Time for everyone to go and watch "Canadian Bacon" again. The war is about to start.

I was thinking the same thing bettman is gonna throw in this travel stuff at the hearings making it look like there is a risk at putting another team in canada,so then he could move the team to las vegas.bettman wanted the coyotes in las vegas but balsile beat him to the punch so know he says he wants the team to stay in pheonix which is horses***.

[Lidstrom for Norris 0]

Yeah, because USA-Mexico and USA-Canada relationships work exactly the same way. I get the theory (NAFTA) but practically you can't treat the two borders the same way. Besides Mexico doesn't have teams in any American leagues, or vice versa, do they? There's no way the Department of Transportation looks good by doing this - being anti-sports and treating NHL-teams as if they're a security risk are not exactly great positions to take.

The MLS (Major League Soccer) has one team in Mexico, as irrelevant as that sounds to this conversation.

[stevkrause 1,247]

This is BEYOND ridiculous... what about the Jays in the MLB and Raptors in NBA?

[kidish 0]

The U.S. was tired of the original agreement with Canadian-based charters being broken. So it changed the rules.

It isn't like the U.S. just decided to be arbitrary about the entire thing...like, you know, everything else the government does.

[cusimano_brothers 1,655]

From Toronto Star :

Canada's six National Hockey League teams can breathe a little easier thanks to the country's hockey-loving prime minister.

Following his first White House meeting with President Barack Obama, Stephen Harper yesterday announced an "agreement in principle" that would once again allow Air Canada to fly Canadian and U.S. hockey teams between cities south of the border during the upcoming season.

The tentative deal would put an end to a cross-border spat that emerged earlier this summer when the U.S. Department of Transportation clamped down on Air Canada's Jetz service, which provides charter flights to all six Canadian NHL teams as well as the Toronto Raptors NBA basketball team.

Under the new rules, Air Canada would have been prevented from flying teams between games in U.S. cities without first returning to Canadian soil – a development that caused the country's largest airline to launch a lawsuit last week and sent hockey clubs in Canada scrambling to make alternative travel arrangements.

...

[miller76 463]

From Toronto Star :

...

thats really good news. I could just imagine the loss of hours and the loss of sleep, if this thing was to continue.

[Cougar to Falcons to Wings 1]

These two governments and agencies or whoever need to find a away to come up with an agreement with the transporting these sports teams. And why would Canada retaliate and make this a pissing contest?

The article only said Air Canada Charters. I wonder if it is just Air Canada.

You can charter Air Canada aircraft which is what the sports teams do. They use the same aircraft that is part of the the Air Canada fleet. They are then able to have them land at multiple airports. It's cheaper to charter the planes for several cities rather than pay for a one-way charter. The airline still charges the "renter" to return the aircraft to its home airport.

This does not just effect the teams... I can tell you from personal experience that the dedicated following of sports teams will charter planes, trains, and automobiles as well.

The worst of it is when there is a game location decided at the last minute --- most flights will already be booked or airfares will be beyond outrageous, so it becomes more cost effective to charter planes.

I have some people in my "office" that are still having issues with chartering these flights. They've been working on charters for the Olympics and are still not being given the all-clear.

I'll put a call in to my AC rep and see what they have to say...

Edited September 18, 2009 by Cougar to Falcons to Wings