Canadian airlines start canceling U.S. routes amid Trump fallout

Flair Airlines flights to Nashville and Las Vegas from Toronto are affected.

Mar 18, 2025 - 19:45

Canadian airlines start canceling U.S. routes amid Trump fallout

While the United States and Canada have long been known for their cordial relations, the new Trump administration has turned centuries of allyship on their head by imposing 25% tariffs on Canadian products and repeatedly referring to former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as "governor" while also calling the sovereign nation a "51st state."

As a result of the antagonism to their country, millions of Canadians have canceled existing trips and sworn off any future travel down south; the U.S. Travel Association recently estimated that even a 10% reduction in the total number of Canadian visitors to states like Florida and California would cost the travel industry over $2.1 billion.

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Flights to Nashville, Las Vegas and Palm Springs are all affected

Anticipating the lack of demand to last longer than just a temporary ebb, a number of Canadian airlines have also cut routes to the U.S. — in some cases, ones that were launched in anticipation of a busy summer travel period just a few months earlier.

Edmonton-based Flair Airlines ran its last route between Toronto Pearson (YYZ) and Barry Field Nashville International Airport (BNA). The airline later confirmed that it is also canceling its routes to Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) from Calgary and Edmonton.

The last flights are currently slated to run on April 7. Four flights that the airline already planned to suspend later in the spring — two to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) from Edmonton and Calgary, one between Palm Spring and Vancouver and one to Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport (FLL) from Waterloo International Airport (YKF) in southeastern Ontario — to early April.

Canada has been seeing a rush of patriotism and domestic travel interest spurred by Donald Trump's antagonism.
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Air Canada says it plans to 'move capacity into sectors' where they 'see strength'

The country's flagship airline Air Canada (ACDVF) , which in November 2024 announced a spate of new routes such as one between Vancouver and Nashville and another between Toronto and Jacksonville, told investors that it will also eventually be forced to reduce capacity if the current political environment remains.

"If we can derisk this a little bit and move and be a bit proactive and move capacity into other sectors [where] we see strength," Mark Galardo, Air Canada's executive vice presidency, revenue and network planning and president of cargo, said in a statement. "I think that's the right move right now in this context."

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Meanwhile, the Trump administration is currently preparing to impose further complications on Canadians who drive into the U.S. and stay for more than 30 days. While previously the only requirement was to not overstay the six-month visa-free period between the two countries, Canadian visitors will soon also need to register in an online portal that is yet to be launched — by sowing confusion and fear of accidentally running afoul of changing laws, the move has further disincentivized some Canadians from traveling south.

"Just canceled our March trip to Great Wolf Lodge [a chain of water park resorts available in states such as Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Virginia] and will be going to West Edmonton Mall instead," Monique Neufeld wrote on the social media platform Threads (META) in a post that received nearly 17,000 upvotes. "Keeping our money in Canada!"