New report finds Canada to U.S. flight bookings down significantly

As the trade war between the United States and Canada continues to escalate, a new report has found that many Canadians are reconsidering their plans to travel to the U.S. 

A once popular and reliable travel destination for Canadians, new findings from travel data firm OAG show that planned visits to our neighbours south of the border have plummeted. 

According to OAG, their team looked at booking data for the summer season from this week compared to this time last year and bookings month over month are expected to be down by 70 per cent, with OAG predicting airline seat capacity could be significantly impacted during the peak travel months of July and August.

Toronto-based travel expert Barry Choi says he isn’t surprised by the findings and says several U.S. cities will feel the impact much more intensely than others over the next few months when it comes to air travel and cross-border driving. 

“Generally speaking, if we are talking about hotspots for sure, Florida or those border cities which get Canadians on DYA trips are going to get hit really, really hard and even places traditionally that wouldn’t normally, like California, I think you are going to see decreases in numbers overall,” said Choi.

That is the case for Toronto resident Laura Macneil, who usually travels to the U.S. three to four times a year to see family and is considering a booking for 2025.

“I have two brothers that live in California, and it’s become incredibly unaffordable for Canadians to travel to the U.S., even just a trip to visit family is something that is on the table about whether we will make it happen this summer,” said Macneil.

CityNews contacted some of Canada’s largest airlines to see what adjustments they’ve made to flight schedules. Air Transat and Air Canada confirm they are monitoring patterns but haven’t made any significant schedule changes.