Air Canada is adjusting its flight schedules to the United States due to increased jet fuel costs and reduced demand for travel across the border. The airline is pausing or delaying eight transborder routes starting in the upcoming fall season.
For the second consecutive winter, three routes from Toronto and Montreal to cities in the Midwest of the U.S. 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 reintroduced this winter.
Earlier this year, Air Canada, along with WestJet and Air Transat, decreased their summer flight capacity to the U.S. following a surge in jet fuel prices due to the conflict in Iran. This led to certain routes becoming financially unviable.
Statistics Canada’s preliminary data indicates a 28% decline in the number of Canadians returning from the U.S. by air, totaling less than 462,000 passengers from May 2024 to May of this year. Angela Mah, a spokesperson for Air Canada, mentioned that the airline regularly evaluates its schedule to match customer demand and seasonal travel trends. Despite the route changes, Air Canada intends to resume operations at JFK in the future. In the meantime, the airline plans to enhance its services in New York by offering up to five daily flights between Toronto’s Billy Bishop airport and LaGuardia Airport this winter.
