Both Canadian and U.S. airlines who offer trans border flights are trimming those schedules and cancelling flights in the face of a 70 percent drop in bookings especially from the northern side of the border. A nationwide surge in patriotism, thanks to tariff threats and threats by President Donald Trump to force Canada to become the “51st state” have seen Canadian bookings to the U.S. drop precipitously. Airline market analyst OAG said a total of 320,000 seats have been dropped from schedules through October and more might be cut. In April, bookings dropped from 1.2 million in 2024 to a little less than 300,000 in April of this year. The pattern continues through October.
Canadians have routinely traveled to the U.S. as their favorite tourism destination but a massive patriotic movement to retaliate against the U.S. for its economic and sovereignty threats have taken hold beyond most expectations. Both major Canadian airlines, Air Canada and WestJet, have announced flight cancellations through the summer and are looking nervously at the also-popular fall and winter markets because many Canadian “snowbirds” have vowed to avoid sunbelt locations for their winter escapes. Air Canada is disputing OAG’s numbers but WestJet has not commented. “Unfortunately, the law of unintended consequences is once again impacting the airline industry adding to what had already become a softening market,” OAG said in its analysis. On the bright side, those who still have U.S. trips planned may find bargains as airlines to fill empty seats.
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