On a day that Air Canada celebrated the resumption of flights between Ottawa and London Heathrow, the carrier confirmed that its cross-border flight bookings for the next six months have decreased about 10% – though considerably less than some industry suggestions that traffic has dropped by up to 70 percent.

At its annual shareholder meeting Monday, the company said its drop in bookings were “comparable” to industry-wide figures.

Most Canadian carriers have reduced capacity to the U.S. while bolstering their domestic or transatlantic offerings, as customers reconsider 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 VP Eric Tanner said cross-border trips will comprise just 12% of the budget carrier’s network in winter 2025-26 versus 20% over the past few months.

Porter Airlines notably remains an exception, boosting its flight volume south of the border by 25% year-over-year for the summer amid a rapid expansion, though its U.S. network will be smaller than previously planned.

Ottawa-London

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Air Canada relaunched Ottawa-London service, with four weekly flights linking the country’s capitals.

Overall, Air Canada will serve London Heathrow from six Canadian cities with up to 63 weekly flights in summer 2025, with a wide array of connections beyond Heathrow across Europe, the Middle East, India, and Africa.

On hand for Air Canada’s flight launch was Stan Cho, Ontario Minister of Tourism, Culture and Gaming, who noted, “Strengthening our global connections is more important than ever.”

If this article was shared with you by a friend or colleague, you may enjoy receiving your own copy of Travel Industry Today with the latest travel news and reviews each weekday morning.  It’s absolutely free – just CLICK HERE.