As Demand Drops, Air Canada Slashes More Routes to the US

Canadian flyers are increasingly skipping the United States, and airlines are rearranging their maps to match. Air Canada has scrapped five US routes slated for 2027, including links from Montreal to Seattle; Vancouver to Nashville and Raleigh-Durham; Toronto's main airport to Charleston; and Toronto's downtown airport to Boston, according to Cirium data. Some of the flights, including Toronto to Charleston, Air Canada's only flight to South Carolina, had been suspended and were due to return next year, Newsweek reports. They've now vanished from schedules instead amid falling demand. Air Canada will, however, revive Toronto–Louisville service for the first time since 2002.

Other airlines are also cutting flights to the US. WestJet has axed 10 US routes this year and Air Transat has exited the US entirely. The airline had already reduced its US service to flights from Quebec City and Montreal to Fort Lauderdale, which were cut in June. Many Canadian travelers are avoiding the US because of President Trump's tariffs on Canadian goods and his threats to make Canada the "51st state," which he has repeated at rallies this month. According to Canadian government statistics, air travel from Canada to the US was down 19% last month compared to September 2024, and car border crossings were down 31%.

The airline service cuts "appear to be straightforward common sense for carriers that want to stay afloat while facing dwindling demand," Newsweek notes. Most of the flights Air Canada cut were established only recently, with the Charleston flights first launched in 2024, Simple Flying notes. Fuel costs were likely another factor behind the cuts, especially for the transcontinental flights from Vancouver. As the Canadian airlines cut services to the US, they are adding capacity for European and Latin American destinations. Aviation intelligence provider OAG says capacity from Canada to Costa Rica surged 15% in the first quarter of this year, showing "a shift in leisure travel demand from traditional US sun destinations."