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 the suspension or postponement of eight transborder routes starting in the upcoming fall season.
For the second consecutive winter, three routes connecting 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 see a delayed start in December instead of October. Two previously halted routes from Montreal and Toronto to New York’s JFK airport will not resume this winter.
Air Canada, along with WestJet and Air Transat, had already reduced their summer flight capacities to the U.S. earlier this year amidst surging jet fuel prices sparked by the conflict in the Middle East. This increase in fuel costs rendered some routes unprofitable.
Statistics Canada’s preliminary data indicates a 28% decline in the number of Canadians returning by air from the U.S. between May 2024 and May of this year, totaling fewer than 462,000 travelers.
In response to these changes, Air Canada’s spokesperson, Angela Mah, mentioned that the airline routinely evaluates its schedule to match capacity with customer demand and seasonal travel trends. Although the airline plans to resume services to JFK in the future, it intends to enhance its New York presence by offering up to five daily flights between Toronto’s Billy Bishop airport and LaGuardia Airport this winter.