Bookings on U.S.-bound routes down about 10% amid tariff backlash: Air Canada

Bookings on cross-border routes are down significantly across the industry amid Canadians' new-found aversion to U.S. destinations, Air Canada says. At its annual shareholder meeting Monday, the company said its decreased cross-border flight bookings for the next six months were "comparable" to an industry-wide drop of about 10%. Most Canadian carriers have reduced capacity to the United States while bolstering their domestic or transatlantic offerings, as customers turn their back on travel to a country whose president has set off a continental trade war and threatened annexation. A weak loonie has also discouraged stateside excursions because the conversion rate has been particularly unfavourable for Canadians over the past four months. Flair Airlines commercial vice-president Eric Tanner says cross-border trips will comprise just 12% of the budget carrier's network in winter 2025-26 versus 20% over the past few months. "Overall, we’ve seen more customer and consumer uncertainty. Obviously the U.S. tariff issue is getting a lot of attention, and we’ve certainly seen an impact from that and made network moves to adapt accordingly," Tanner said in a phone interview.<br/>