Air Canada cancels once-popular US vacation route
It comes after the carrier cut five further routes, blaming weak demand for cross-border travel as a result of political tensions. Air Canada had until recently planned to operate daily flights between Toronto Pearson International Airport and Jacksonville International Airport this winter, according to aviation analytics company Cirium.
Passengers relying on this route will be hit hardest, as Air Canada is the only carrier offering a nonstop direct service between the two cities. The airline claims the route will return next summer, when it has the potential to become profitable again.
While the US has long been the top international travel destination for Canadians, many are boycotting trips this year following Trump's threats to annex the country into the '51st state' and the imposition of tariffs. Canadian air travel to the US dropped by 24.2 percent in May compared to a year earlier, according to government data.
That fall is following a plunge of 14 percent in April and a 13.5 percent decrease in March . Last month, Air Canada reported that its Canada to US routes had seen a 7 percent drop in the first quarter of the year. In response, the airline cut back its earnings expectations for the whole year.
Many Canadians, known as snowbirds, once headed to warmer climates such as Florida and California for a reprieve from the harsh winters of the Great White North. Now, however, they are turning to Mexico instead and Air Canada is filling the gap with a new nonstop flight to Guadalajara.
The Montreal-based company said it would also increase the frequency of its flights to destinations such as Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta over the winter. The shift away from the US and towards Mexico and the Caribbean has been so dramatic that vacation hotspots such as Palm Springs have run campaigns to try and lure back the Canadian visitors that businesses depend on.
Other areas such as border towns with Canada, and popular summer vacation destinations in Maine, are also bearing the brunt of the pullback. Tensions between the two nations remain high after attempts to hammer out a trade deal hit the rocks over the weekend.
While the talks are back on , no deal has yet been reached and Canadians remain angry over the White House's aggressive tariffs. It comes as the US is set to lose $12.5 billion in tourism revenue this year alone, as visitors are put off by President Trump's 'America First' policies and border crackdowns.
Millions of tourists pour into the US every year for family trips to Disneyland, relaxing beach holidays in Florida and to tick off bucket list sightseeing at places such as the Grand Canyon or the Statue of Liberty. Tourist spending is set to fall by 7 percent in 2025 compared to last year, according to new data from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).
The drop represents a staggering slide of 22 percent from America's tourism peak in 2019. The US will be the only country set to lose tourism dollars this year, according to the WTTC. 'Other countries are really rolling out the welcome mat, and it feels like the US is putting up a "we are closed" sign at their doorway,' WTTC president and chief executive officer Julia Simpson told Bloomberg.
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