Flight bookings between Canada and US down 70% amid Trump tariff war

Airline travel between Canada and the US is “collapsing” amid Donald Trump’s tariff war, with flight bookings between the two countries down by over 70%, newly released data suggests.

According to data from the aviation analytics company OAG, airline capacity between Canada and the US has been reduced through October 2025, with the biggest cuts occurring between the months of July and August, which is considered peak travel season. Passenger bookings on Canada to US routes are currently down by over 70% compared to the same period last year.

Comparing the available bookings from March 2024 to March 2025, OAG looked at how many people have booked trans-border flights in the six-month period between April through September. It found that the number of tickets booked was down anywhere from 71% to 76%.

Total capacity available for passengers on flights between the two countries has also seen a reduction, likely a response to decreasing demands. The data shows that more than 320,000 seats have been removed by airlines operating between the two countries through to the end of October, with the highest cuts, 3.5%, also occurring during the peak summer months.

But the steep decline suggests that the current capacity cuts do not even begin to cover the current disinterest in traveling to the US.

The dramatic drop in bookings suggests that Canadian travelers are holding off on making reservations, probably due to ongoing uncertainty surrounding the tariff war. Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, called the latest round of Trump’s tariffs a “direct attack” on Canadian workers.

Though a decline in travel between Canada and the US was expected, the substantial 70% drop in bookings could require drastic changes for airlines, such as Air Canada, which is the airline that has the largest network of border crossings between the neighboring countries.

Beyond the trade dispute, some Canadians say they feel increasingly uneasy crossing into the US following several high-profile incidents of foreign visitors being detained by Ice.