Canadian travelers are taking their loonies elsewhere, tanking demand for US flights

As the trade war between the United States and Canada continues and fears of detention at the U.S. border mount, Canadians are channeling their sentiments through their wallets and choosing to travel elsewhere. According to aviation data firm OAG, airline bookings from Canada to the U.S. have collapsed in recent months. "Using forward booking data from a major GDS supplier, we've compared the total bookings held at this point last year with those recorded this week for the upcoming summer season. The decline is striking — bookings are down by over 70% in every month through to the end of September," a statement from the firm said. "This sharp drop suggests that travelers are holding off on making reservations, likely due to ongoing uncertainty surrounding the broader trade dispute." OAG data shows that airlines are also starting to trim capacity on routes between the U.S. and Canada, and Canadian airlines previously told Canadian news outlets that they are considering redeploying their aircraft on other routes. "Comparing the total number of scheduled one-way seats between the two countries filed on 3rd March and those filed on 24th March … 320,000 seats have been removed by airlines operating between the two countries through to the end of October," a statement from OAG said. "The most noticeable cuts are in July and August – the two peak summer season months – where airlines have cut capacity by some 3.5%."<br/>