Air Canada is reducing its flights to the United States due to high jet fuel costs and decreased demand for travel across the border. The airline’s schedule adjustments include the suspension or postponement of eight transborder routes starting in the upcoming fall season.
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 commence in December instead of October. Two previously halted routes from Montreal and Toronto to New York’s JFK airport will not be reinstated this winter.
Earlier this year, Air Canada, WestJet, and Air Transat had already trimmed their summer flight capacity to the U.S. amid surging jet fuel prices caused by the conflict in the Middle East, making certain routes unprofitable.
According to preliminary data from Statistics Canada, the number of Canadians returning by air from the U.S. dropped by 28% to under 462,000 between May 2024 and May of this year. Air Canada’s spokesperson, Angela Mah, mentioned that the airline regularly evaluates its schedule to match capacity with customer demand and seasonal travel trends. She also indicated that while the airline plans to resume service to JFK in the future, it intends to enhance its presence in New York by offering up to five daily flights between Toronto’s Billy Bishop airport and LaGuardia Airport this winter.