Air Canada is adjusting its flight schedules to the U.S. due to increased jet fuel costs and reduced demand for travel across the border. The airline will be 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 commence in December instead of 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 reduced their summer flight capacities to the U.S. following the surge in jet fuel prices due to the conflict in Iran, leading to some routes becoming unprofitable.
Statistics Canada’s preliminary data indicate a 28% decline in the number of Canadians flying back from the U.S. to under 462,000 between May 2024 and May of this year.
Angela Mah, a spokesperson for Air Canada, stated that the airline regularly evaluates its schedule to match capacity with customer demand and seasonal travel trends. She mentioned that Air Canada intends to resume flights to JFK in the future. In the meantime, the airline plans to enhance its New York presence with up to five daily flights between Toronto’s Billy Bishop airport and LaGuardia Airport this winter.