WestJet cancels more flights to these U.S. cities amid decline in cross-border travel
As Canadian travel to the U.S. plummets in recent months, Calgary-based airline WestJet is removing more flights across the border.
The airline is suspending flights to Austin from Vancouver until October, and is halting trips to other U.S. destinations — including Orlando, Los Angeles and Chicago — at different times this summer.
Instead, WestJet is adding more flights within Canada, as the airline says it has seen an increase in demand for domestic travel. In April, WestJet announced three new domestic routes, including Winnipeg to St. John's, Saskatoon to Halifax, and Regina to Halifax.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
Canada's second-largest airline is also reintroducing its Vancouver to Halifax route, and are increasing the frequency of domestic flights to meet the demands. In addition to the domestic travel, WestJet says it's increasing connectivity to Europe, with new service from Halifax to Amsterdam and Barcelona.
'As demand for summer travel continues to evolve, we are focused on flying people where they want to go,' John Weatherill, WestJet executive vice-President and chief commercial officer, said in an April statement.
Canada
Travelling in the age of Trump: A surprising number of Canadians no longer feel safe going to the U.S., poll finds
A new Leger Marketing poll gauges how Canadians are feeling about travelling south of the border.
Canada
Travelling in the age of Trump: A surprising number of Canadians no longer feel safe going to the U.S., poll finds
A new Leger Marketing poll gauges how Canadians are feeling about travelling south of the border.
In February, Air Canada, Canada's largest airline, announced they were cutting flights to Florida, Las Vegas and Arizona by 10 per cent. The airline added in March that it was also using smaller aircraft for trips to those U.S. destinations, saying it is 'experiencing a softening in the transborder market.'
OAG Aviation, a U.K.-based global travel data company, released findings in April showing 'a sharp decline' in bookings and a more modest 'downward trend' in airline capacity — or the number of seats — for flights to the U.S. from Canada.
The number of bookings made in March for flights to the U.S. between April and September have dropped by an average of 72 per cent compared with bookings made in March 2024 for travel between the same months, according to the OAG data.
Business
Year-over-year data shows more than 70% drop in flight bookings from Canada to U.S. amid Trump tariffs
Major Canadian airlines contacted by the Star pushed back against the findings, saying they are
Canadians feeling less safe about going to the U.S.
A recent Leger poll, conducted for the Association for Canadian Studies (ACS), suggests Canadians feel unwelcome and unsafe travelling south of the border amid the repeated annexationist rhetoric toward Canada from U.S. President Donald Trump and the pressures of an ongoing trade war.
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ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
The findings of the poll, published as Pri me Minister Mark Carney sat down with Trump for their first in-person meeting at the White House on Tuesday, follows months of declining travel to the U.S. — which may 'get worse before it gets better,' Jack Jedwab, president and CEO of the ACS, told the Star earlier this week.
'I think it's good for neither country that we feel this level of anxiety towards our neighbours,' Jedwab said. 'I hope the prime minister, who seems very good at this type of dialogue, takes that into consideration in terms of the ongoing efforts at rebuilding our relationship.
Of the 1,626 Canadians surveyed in the Leger poll, 52 per cent feel 'it is no longer safe' travelling to the U.S., while 29 per cent disagreed and 19 per cent were unsure. Respondents over 55 and residents of Atlantic Canada, British Columbia and Ontario felt most strongly against cross-border travel.
Business
Amid plummeting travel to U.S., new bill would let Canadian snowbirds stay south of the border for longer
Under the bill, Canadians who are at least 50 years old and own a U.S. residence or have signed
However, people aged 18 to 54 and residents of Alberta were less inclined to agree. Fifty-four per cent of respondents say they feel unwelcome in the U.S., while 27 per cent disagreed and 19 per cent were uncertain.
The survey was conducted from May 1 to 3, 2025. For comparison purposes, a margin of error cannot be associated with a non-probability sample in a panel survey. A probability sample of 1,626 respondents would have a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 per cent — 19 times out of 20.
With files from Kevin Jiang and Nathan Bawaan
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44 minutes ago
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Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'It's been heartbreaking to think, originally, that we were going to have to lay off all our staff, but, with London Drugs coming on board, we tried to stay open in The Bay as long as we possibly could as we transition to the London Drugs locations.' It's a fresh start for a small company that endured some bumpy last few years inside Hudson's Bay stores. Their sales went through Hudson's Bay cash registers. As HBC struggled to do regular maintenance on elevators and air conditioning systems, it also started missing regular payments to licensees, including Skews' business. 'It was really poorly managed towards the end,' said Skews. On Time Service is smaller than it once was, but still draws thousands of customers with a niche need. The original company, founded by Skews' father in 1979, was called TimeHouse and it operated in Woodward's stores. 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