No, it is in the article that only Melnyk offered that privilege. It is also confirmed it was his dime because he kicked him off. Not TSN
Yes, the team "allowed" reporters on their charters, but the cost of the seat was still paid for by the media company (Bell would pay the Senators for that seat). Melnyk and the team is under no obligation to offer the seat, but even when they did, they weren't doing it for free.
As an employee of a public company, Wallace would likely not even legally be allowed to accept a free flight, otherwise the company would need to account for it. (It'd be considered a large gift. Standard policy for a major corporation like Bell would be to cap gifts at $50). Gift policies are especially strict for media and news organizations, like TSN.
The "favor" wasn't a free-flight, it was added convenience, since a team charter flies direct and from a separate terminal. Flying commercial means you have to go through regular security, customs, deal with layovers, cancelled flights, etc, which could add hours to a trip. Ottawa has very few directs to any city, so it's a pain if you're going to 41 games a year.
Hell, it's right on their website:
Editorial Ethics Guidelines
We do not accept gifts, including paid travel, in order to avoid any conflict-of-interest or appearance thereof. When we rely on an organization for a product or access to an event, we are transparent about the relationship and note it within the relevant work.
