MONTREAL – Air Canada says bookings on cross-border routes are down significantly across the industry amid Canadians’ new-found aversion to American destinations.
At its annual shareholder meeting Monday, the company said its decreased Canada-U.S. flight bookings for the next six months were “comparable” to an industry-wide drop of about 10 per cent.
Most Canadian carriers have reduced capacity to the United States while bolstering their domestic or transatlantic offerings, as customers turn their back on travel to a country whose president has set off a continental trade war and threatened annexation.
A weak loonie has also discouraged excursions to the U.S. because the conversion rate has been particularly unfavourable for Canadians over the past four months.
Flair Airlines commercial vice-president Eric Tanner says cross-border trips will comprise just 12 per cent of the budget carrier’s network this winter versus 20 per cent as of last month.
Porter Airlines remains the exception, boosting its flight volume south of the border by 25 per cent year-over-year this summer amid a rapid expansion, though its U.S. network will be smaller than planned.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 31, 2025.
Companies in this story: (TSX:AC)
