Canadian airline Westjet is responding to a significant reduction in travel demand to the US by temporarily suspending nine routes to large US markets.
The Calgary-based airline said on May 6 that it will focus on domestic and transatlantic flights during the upcoming summer air travel season, citing “downward changes in travel demand across borders.”
“WestJet has updated its summer schedule to help Canadians fly wherever they want to go,” the airline says. “The shift includes nine temporary route outages to US destinations.”
“As common in the aviation industry, Westjet will continually adjust its schedule based on demand,” he adds.
For example, the West Jet launch route between Vancouver and Austin is delayed until October.
The carrier has also stopped routes in Calgary and New York, Calgary and Fort Lauderdale, Edmonton and Chicago, Kelowna and Seattle, Winnipeg and Las Vegas.
Some of Westjet’s route suspensions are only available in June, while others will be revived in the fall.
WestJet isn’t just reducing Canadian airlines flights to the US. The rising tensions between longtime allies driven by President Donald Trump’s world trade war and the threat of Canada’s annexation have driven many Canadian air travelers to book flights elsewhere.
Last month, Toronto-based Porter Airlines pledged to maintain substantial operations to the US over the summer, but revealed that it had fine-tuned its schedules to meet demand for flights that have reached the US.
Air Canada also says it is observing slowing traffic to popular US destinations. And Flair Airlines, a low-cost carrier based in Calgary, previously warned that “Snowbird” travelers seeking the Sun could cool down in the US this winter, urging them to plan more domestic flights.
Westjet is adding flights within Canada according to shifts.
“We have seen an increase in domestic travel demand, particularly between Eastern and West Canada. We have recently announced three new domestic routes and enhanced connectivity to meet this need,” he said.
The carrier has added seasonal flights to Halifax from Vancouver, Regina and Saskatoon, as well as a route between Winnipeg and St. John’s.
WestJet also has more attention to Europe, with the recently announced long-distance route between Halifax and Amsterdam and Barcelona expected to be released in the next two months.
