Canada reduces flights to US: Air Canada and WestJet lead the way in reducing flights and redirecting flights to internal traffic or Europe

As travel from Canada to the United States drops, following an uptick in Canadian nationalism triggered by the aggressive moves by the Trump administration to undermine the country’s economy and sovereignty, these airlines are adapting to the shifts in demand.

Simply Flying reported in April that although Air Canada disputed reporting that bookings from Canada to the US had fallen by more than seventy percent in March, the airline has scrapped a plan to increase the number of daily flights between Montreal and San Francisco, California.

Canadian reporter Dean Blundell also wrote on their Substack that WestJest, a Calgary-based company, was also backtracking on plans to expand flights and routes to the US. "Air Canada has cut its Montréal-San Francisco route from three daily flights to one, while WestJet axed its Vancouver-Austin expansion and routes like Calgary to New York-LaGuardia and Edmonton to Orlando," reported Blundell.

Canadian airlines look to the other side of the Atlantic

Based on comments from leaders at Porter and Flair, two Canadian airlines, Blundell writes that the airlines are going to be looking to the Canadian market to identify areas of potential growth, while also looking towards Europe, to attract visitors who might not be looking to travel to the US in the coming years.

In 2024, the US is estimated to have received over 77 million international visitors, while the number to Canada did not exceed half a million.

Blundell also points to comments made by Mark Galardo, Air Canada’s Executive Vice President of Revenue and Network, who said the company was “moving into other sectors where we see strength,” emphasizing European markets as a new priority geography, and alluding to the expansion of routes over the Atlantic.

Quarterly earnings will provide critical insights

On Friday, May 9, Air Canada will release its first quarterly earnings report of the year, which will cover the period from January to March. Company leaders could reassure investors by discussing plans to adjust their services in response to decreasing demand across their current flight routes. Although reports have indicated a significant decline in demand, company leaders may offer more insights into how this change is impacting the company’s financial statements.

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