Air Canada is reducing its flights to the United States due to high jet fuel costs and decreased demand for travel south of the border. The airline’s schedule adjustments involve pausing or postponing eight transborder routes starting this autumn.
For the second consecutive winter, three routes from Toronto and Montreal to cities in the American Midwest will be canceled. Additionally, three seasonal routes from Ottawa, Montreal, and Quebec City to Florida will now begin in December rather than October. Two previously suspended routes from Montreal and Toronto to New York’s JFK airport will also remain inactive this winter.
Earlier this year, Air Canada, WestJet, and Air Transat all decreased their summer flight capacity to the U.S. as escalating jet fuel prices following the conflict in Iran made certain routes unprofitable.
Statistics Canada’s preliminary data indicates a 28% drop in the number of Canadians returning by air from the U.S. between May 2024 and May of this year, totaling less than 462,000 travelers.
Angela Mah, a spokesperson for Air Canada, mentioned that the airline regularly evaluates its schedule to match capacity with customer demand and seasonal travel trends. She mentioned the airline’s intention to resume service to JFK in the future and expand its New York presence by offering up to five daily flights between Toronto’s Billy Bishop airport and LaGuardia Airport this winter.