Air Canada is set to reduce its flight service to several U.S. destinations this fall, citing high jet-fuel costs and diminished demand for travel to the United States. The country’s largest airline will suspend or delay eight routes between Canada and the U.S. as part of its seasonal schedule adjustments.

Among the changes, three routes connecting Toronto and Montreal to cities in the American Midwest will be cancelled for the second consecutive winter. Additionally, three seasonal flights from Ottawa, Montreal, and Quebec City to Florida will be postponed, with their start dates moving from October to December. Two previously suspended routes from Montreal and Toronto to New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) will remain inactive this winter.

The reductions come amid ongoing fuel price pressures exacerbated by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. The war in Iran has driven up jet fuel costs, prompting Air Canada, WestJet, and Air Transat earlier this year to scale back their summer capacity for flights to the U.S., as some routes became unprofitable.

According to preliminary data from Statistics Canada, the number of Canadians returning from the U.S. by air declined 28 percent to fewer than 462,000 between May 2024 and May 2025, reflecting the drop in cross-border travel.

Air Canada spokesperson Angela Mah stated that the airline continuously reviews its flight schedules to align capacity with customer demand and seasonal travel trends. She confirmed that although service to JFK will not resume this winter, Air Canada plans to restore these routes at a later date.

In the interim, the airline aims to enhance its presence in New York by operating up to five daily flights between Toronto’s Billy Bishop Airport and New York’s LaGuardia Airport during the winter season.