Canadians continue to shun US destinations

Canadians are still avoiding trips to the US; perhaps not keen to risk being shot by masked, untrained morons roaming the streets.

Canadian airlines are continuing to operate fewer trans-border flights to the US this winter, news hub Travel Mole reports.

Canadian carriers have been cutting back on US flights and shifting capacity to other vacation destinations as US President Donald Trump continues to threaten friends and allies alike.

The airlines are also ramping up coast-to-coast domestic services as Canadians stay at home.

A new update by OAG finds about 10% fewer seats available in the first quarter of 2026. That equates to about 450,000 fewer seats overall.

This capacity decrease is mainly from Canadian airlines although US carriers are also cutting capacity.

WestJet is trimming nearly 20% of US seat capacity while low-cost carrier Flair Airlines has slashed US capacity by more than half.

The flight cuts mostly impact winter sun leisure routes to Las Vegas and multiple Florida destinations.

Canadian airlines are instead beefing up flight schedules to Mexico and the Caribbean.

Data recently released by Visit Florida showed a double digit decline in visitor numbers from Canada for the third quarter of 2025.

British Airways trims US flights - but it has nothing to do with the election

British Airways has cut two more daily US flights - but it has nothing to do with a reduction in bookings after the election of Donald Trump.

The cutbacks are due to a projected lack of aircraft due to maintenance issues, new portal Travel Mole reports.

BA is temporarily scrapping daily flights to Dallas/Fort Worth for the next northern summer with the flight suspension from March to October 2025.

Additionally, the airline will remove the second daily flight from London to Miami, which was only recently announced as a year-round service.

The airline has already cut New York flights from London Gatwick due to issues over the delivery of engines and parts from Rolls-Royce.

“We’ve taken this action because we do not believe the issue will be solved quickly, and we want to offer our customers the certainty they deserve,” the airline said in a statement.

“We’ve apologised to those affected and are able to offer the vast majority a flight the same day with British Airways or one of our partner airlines.”

BA’s transatlantic partner American Airlines will help pick up the slack for Dallas and Miami.

American said it is resuming its second-daily flight to London Heathrow from South Florida.

So you want to Play? Hard.

Anyone travelling in Europe and wanting to get to the US on a budget might like to make note of Icelandic low-cost airline Play, which could be on the way to becoming a major player.

Play will launch flight between Glasgow and Keflavik in Iceland in May, adding to a fast-growing list of destinations.

The route between Glasgow International and Keflavik marks the airline’s first Scottish route and ticket sales are now open at www.flyplay.com.

Glasgow flights launch on May 26, 2023, and offer US connections.

Play will soon offer four US destinations: Newburgh in New York State, Boston, Baltimore/Washington and Washington Dulles. It will also fly to Hamilton, Canada, from June.

Flights between Glasgow and Keflavik start from £69 ($AU125) one-way, with US flights starting at £169.

Play will operate four flights per week over the northern summer months, Travel Mole reports.

CEO Birgir Jónsson said: “In January 2023, Brits made up the largest percentage of tourists to Iceland.”

Play's routes to and from Paris and London had an impressive load factor of over 90% in February. 

The airline was founded in 2019 and has been flying for around 20 months. It serves several European destinations from Keflavik.