For the 14th consecutive month, Canadians have been taking fewer trips to the United States, coinciding with U.S. President Donald Trump’s return to office, according to data released by Statistics Canada on Thursday.
The number of Canadians who returned from trips to the U.S. decreased by 12.5 per cent in February compared with the same period last year. Of the 1.2 million trips Canadians took to the U.S. by car in February, more than 70 per cent were same-day outings.
Canadians’ attitudes toward vacationing in the U.S. have been affected by Trump’s tariff threats, 51st-state jeers and unfavourable currency exchange rates.
In February 2025, then-prime minister Justin Trudeau urged Canadians to “choose Canada” and reconsider vacation plans south of the border, hours after Trump announced a 25 per cent tariff on imported Canadian goods.
The Statistics Canada data also noted Canadians took 6.8 per cent more overseas trips in February than they did the year before.
The data comes at a time when travel is poised to become increasingly strained as airlines reduce flights in an effort to grapple with an international jet fuel shortage spurred by war between the U.S. and Iran.
On Wednesday, Air Transat announced it will be cutting about 1,000 flights — a roughly six per cent capacity reduction — during the critical travel months of May to October because of surging fuel prices.
The carrier said it plans to reduce the number of flights on some routes to Europe and the Caribbean and extend its suspension of service to Cuba from June to October amid a U.S. energy blockade of the island. It will also be postponing the launch of a new route between Toronto and Accra, Ghana, and cutting back its service between Montreal and Guadalajara, Mexico.
“The recent volatility in aviation fuel prices reflects an exceptional environment affecting the entire sector,” said Transat president and CEO Annick Guérard, adding additional adjustments could be made “beyond our control” depending on how the situation evolves.
The decision comes after Air Canada and WestJet recently announced adapted flight services and additional fees, pointing to extra higher oil prices caused by the war between the U.S. and Iran.
Air Canada announced the suspension of a half-dozen routes on Friday, citing roughly doubled fuel costs that render the flights unprofitable. The slashed services represent one per cent of the carrier’s planned capacity, it said in a statement.
On Monday, WestJet announced flight capacity cuts amounting to about one per cent in April, three per cent in May and 5.5 per cent in June. Most of the adjustments will affect domestic routes, with minimal impact to the airline’s operations in the U.S. and “to sun destinations.”
Porter Airlines said it has not reduced or cancelled flights due to fuel constraints, but is monitoring the situation.
According to Statistics Canada, most Canadian airlines have hiked fare prices nearly five per cent on average in March compared with February’s prices, citing spikes in energy costs that are passed down to travellers.
The international fuel shortage has been slowly mounting since the U.S. and Israel launched a war on Iran in late February, triggering blockades of the crucial Strait of Hormuz oil passage.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) warned Europe is on the brink of a jet fuel crisis, cautioning the continent has enough supply to last until late May. Some countries have already begun implementing fuel restrictions with more expected to follow as supplies tighten in the coming weeks, according to former Air Canada executive and aviation lecturer at McGill University John Gradek.
“The world now is facing a shortage, a situation where airports and countries are starting to ration fuel,” he said. “Probably in a couple weeks, we’ll start running out.”
The IEA noted in a report last week that Europe is particularly vulnerable due to its reliance on imported jet fuel because 75 per cent of its supply was being imported from the Middle East.
“The loss of Middle East jet fuel exports has thrown a proverbial wrench into the inner workings of the aviation fuel markets,” the report said, adding that the region is now turning to international markets to replace the lost supply and the impact is expected to be concentrated in the second quarter of 2026.
With files from The Canadian Press
