It's no longer appealing! 860,000 Canadians collectively "abandoned the U.S.", four major airlines urgently adjusted their routes, which may trigger an airfare "price war"! Source: 51 journalist shot U.S. travel has lost its charm; a "patriotic travel wave" is sweeping across Canada. Thousands of Canadians are actively boycotting trips to the United States due to anger over Trump's tariff threats and "annexation" remarks. Additionally, many Canadians have voluntarily abandoned travel due to concerns about border detentions. Toronto woman Austin Lamarche originally planned to travel with her family to Disney World in Florida in September this year. However, she now feels that traveling to the "Magic Kingdom" is no longer safe and ultimately canceled the trip. "I've been looking forward to this trip for more than a year," Lamarche said. "But I won't step foot into a hostile country." Now, she and her family have booked a week-long trip to Paris - even though they will lose some non-refundable costs from the Disney trip. Rachel Swiger, a resident of Saskatchewan who is originally from the U.S. but has lived in Canada for 13 years, had planned to vacation in Hawaii with her Canadian husband Mark next year. After much deliberation, the couple ultimately decided to go to Costa Rica instead. "We feel uneasy about going to the U.S.," Swiger said. "Recent cases prove that you can be detained at the border regardless of your relationship with the U.S. or your legitimate travel reasons. I would never risk my husband's life and safety." Calgary resident Nathan Quan also made a similar decision. He was a NEXUS expedited clearance card holder, frequently commuting between the U.S. and Canada, but he said he has decided not to go to the U.S. anymore. "Everything the U.S. can offer can now be obtained at a lower cost and more safely elsewhere. I don't miss that place at all." Toronto resident Yael Staav said, "We have relatives in the U.S., but we won't visit them recently. We might meet somewhere else. We plan to spend money on more worthwhile places." Source: 51 journalist shot According to the latest data from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the number of travelers crossing the U.S.-Canada border decreased by 864,844 compared to the same period last year in March 2025, a year-on-year drop of 17.4%, setting a historical decline. Among them: - The number of car arrivals decreased by 26.4% - The number of pedestrian arrivals decreased by 25.7% However, CBP data shows that the number of travelers flying from Canada to the U.S. increased by 5.3%, while truck transportation also increased by 6.4%. This trend matches the recent data from Statistics Canada — the number of Canadian residents returning from the U.S. decreased by 13.5% year-over-year. Canadian Airlines Urgently Adjust Routes; Local Tourism Soars The sharp decline in Canadian travel to the U.S. has dealt a severe blow to airlines that have long relied on Florida beach vacations and Disney family tours for revenue. This change has also forced major airlines to urgently adjust their summer flight schedules: reducing U.S. route capacity while increasing seat supply for domestic and overseas routes. WestJet Airlines said Wednesday that demand for "sun destinations" such as Mexico, the Caribbean, and Europe has grown, while demand for U.S. travel is declining. "We have recently reduced some Canada-U.S. routes and adjusted our summer flight schedule to redirect capacity to stronger markets," WestJet Airlines said. Another low-cost carrier, Flair Airlines, has prematurely terminated some U.S. seasonal routes while increasing flights to destinations like Mexico and Jamaica to match traveler demand. Air Canada said that as of mid-March, its future six-month bookings for Canada-U.S. flights were down approximately 10% year-over-year. The company is also adjusting its U.S. routes by switching to smaller aircraft and reducing the frequency of some routes. Porter Airlines, which expanded its U.S. routes significantly over the past year, also slightly reduced its U.S. flights this summer and transferred some capacity back to the domestic market in Canada. Source: 51 journalist shot Mike Arnot, a spokesperson for aviation data analytics firm Cirium, said that although airlines often make minor adjustments to their flight schedules, such a significant decline in Canada-U.S. route demand is rare. Arnot said that Cirium's data comes from third-party channels such as travel agencies and online booking platforms. They found that bookings between major Canadian cities and popular U.S. destinations this summer are down nearly 20% compared to last year, while July bookings for popular domestic Canadian routes are growing by 11%. Meanwhile, Beth Potter, president and CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC), said that Canadians are turning to domestic travel, showing strong "patriotic sentiment." Since the trade war began, TIAC has observed a 19% increase in Canadians planning domestic trips, which could drive $130 billion CAD in domestic tourism in Canada. Source: 51 journalist shot The "airfare price war" in Canada is imminent; historical low prices may appear this summer. As Canadians re-plan their travels, some airlines have added European routes: - Air Canada launched a summer route from Montreal to Edinburgh and expanded capacity to Paris, Rome, and Athens. - WestJet Airlines introduced direct flights from Halifax to Barcelona and Amsterdam. - Discover Airlines, part of Lufthansa Group, launched round-trip flights between Munich and Calgary, expecting more European tourists to come to Canada this summer and hoping Canadians will choose Europe as well. However, aviation expert John Gradek pointed out that there are technical limitations to transferring capacity originally scheduled for U.S. routes to overseas destinations — narrow-body aircraft commonly used on North American routes cannot fly directly to Europe, meaning excess capacity can only be absorbed domestically in Canada, potentially leading to an oversupply of seats during the summer travel season. Gradek predicts that the "airfare price war" in Canada will begin in early May. Arnot also believes that airlines may significantly reduce prices to sell off unsold tickets on U.S. routes that cannot be canceled. Despite the weakening Canadian dollar and economic recession concerns suppressing travel demand, Arnot noted, "This summer will be very interesting; New York tours may be surprisingly cheap." It should be noted that the Canadian government recently updated its travel advice to the U.S., warning citizens of "strict inspections including electronic device checks" at the border. Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7494790127072363048/ Disclaimer: This article represents the author's personal views. Please express your opinions by clicking the "Top/Downvote" button below.