Canadian Summer Flight Bookings Down 70% from Last Year, Data Shows

Takeaways

• New OAG data shows that Canadian bookings of flights to the U.S. from April to September this year are down by 70%.
• The aviation analytics company compared bookings in March 2024 to those made this month. They found that bookings had plummeted. A 71.4% decline in bookings in July represented the smallest drop.
• "This sharp drop suggests that travelers are holding off on making reservations, likely due to ongoing uncertainty surrounding the broader trade dispute," OAG wrote.

The Canadians who have not booked summer flights to their southern neighbors may be protesting the tariffs imposed by Donald Trump.

New OAG data shows that Canadian bookings of flights to the U.S. from April to September this year are down by 70%.

The aviation analytics firm compared the bookings of a year ago, in March 2024, with those of this month. They found that bookings had plummeted. A 71.4% decline in bookings in July was the smallest decrease. The April flight bookings dropped 75.7%. This month, 295,982 were made, compared to 1,218,570 last year.

“The decline is striking—bookings are down by over 70% in every month through to the end of September,” OAG said. This sharp drop indicates that travelers are delaying making reservations due to the ongoing uncertainty surrounding a broader trade dispute.

Canadian Airlines Trying Schedule Adjustments

OAG reported that Canadian airlines have adjusted their schedules to the best of their ability.

"Short-notice adjustments to schedules are always challenging for airlines, especially for the summer season when slot availability in alternate markets may not be easy to find," said OAG.

And WestJet, Canada's second-largest airline behind Air Canada, is doing just that.

"[S]ince the beginning of March, WestJet have added an additional 114 flights to Europe as they actively place capacity outside of the United States; Dublin and Edinburgh are the two airports benefiting the most from these changes," said OAG.

Air Canada, on the other hand, has not done so due to limited availability in Europe’s major hubs.

"Air Canada typically has larger proportions of connecting traffic across its network, much of which connects at a U.S. hub to one of its Star Alliance partners, making it more difficult to manage when flights are cancelled," said OAG.

OAG said that the trade dispute is also affecting winter bookings.

"For the airlines, it will be a nervous few months, especially as the traditional 'snowbird' market from Canada to the U.S. could be badly impacted next year if the situation doesn't improve quickly."