Air Canada, U.S. reach deal on sports charters

Air Canada says it has reached a deal with the U.S. Department of Transportation that will allow the resumption of NHL sports charter flights for the 2009-10 season.

Air Canada was told last month by the department that it must cancel all of its season-long sports charters regardless of the point of origin.

The U.S. prohibits foreign airlines from carrying passengers solely between points in the U.S.

Details of the agreement were not immediately available, but the airline says it includes a number of initiatives to address U.S. concerns.

Air Canada chief operating officer Duncan Dee said the issue had threatened to disrupt the travel schedules of NHL teams for the upcoming hockey season which begins Oct. 1.

"I want to take this opportunity to thank Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Transport Minister John Baird and Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon for their critical interventions, which allowed this matter to be resolved in time for the start of the upcoming NHL season," Dee said in a statement.

The prime minister said during his visit to Washington this week that a tentative deal to resolve the dispute had been reached.