Delta Air Lines flight lands at Harry Reid International Airport, on April 9, in Las Vegas.John Locher/The Associated Press
More Canadian travellers are avoiding the United States, with some deterred by intensive border checks and shifting their holiday plans, while Canada’s airlines are adjusting their routes and schedules in response.
New figures released Monday show a steep drop in the number of Canadian residents returning from the U.S. by either air or car in April, as fewer people head south of the border for shopping or vacations.
Return trips by air from the United States declined in April by 20 per cent from the same month in 2024, according to Statistics Canada, while return trips from other countries by Canadian residents increased.
The number of return trips by car from the United States by Canadian residents declined by 35 per cent in the same period. April marked the fourth consecutive month of year-over-year declines.
An analysis by the National Bank of Canada published Monday found that “travel to the United States has collapsed; down 34 per cent by land and 17 per cent by air since January.”
John Gradek, a lecturer in supply networks and aviation at McGill University, said people are trying to avoid complications at U.S. airports, including intense questioning and having to allow border guards to access their cellphones.
Holiday destinations such as Las Vegas, and others in Florida and California, are declining in popularity, he said, while car traffic from Canada to states including Vermont, Maine, New York and Washington is decreasing.
Immigration lawyers said that both Canadians and people en route from overseas are actively avoiding flying via the United States because of lengthy and invasive checks, delays and detentions by U.S. border officers, including for travellers flying via the U.S. to other destinations.
Some long-haul travellers are choosing flights via Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver or Calgary instead of U.S. airports, Mr. Gradek said.
Some Canadians, including a number born in Iran, have faced hours of questioning, and had their phones accessed and social-media accounts scrolled through by border guards.
Among those who are avoiding travel to the U.S. – including to attend conferences – are some members of Canada’s LGBTQ community, concerned about policy changes by the Trump administration.
The U.S. government now recognizes only two genders and has stopped issuing passports and identity cards with an X gender marker to trans and non-binary Americans. The Trump administration has also abolished the U.S. government‘s diversity, equity and inclusion departments, and President Donald Trump has signed executive orders designed to exclude transgender people from the U.S. military and restrict their participation in sports.
Immigration lawyer Yameena Ansari said LGBTQ clients have told her “they avoid even transiting through the U.S. because of fear: fear of being profiled, misgendered or pulled aside for invasive questioning.”
“They are actively rerouting through Canada or Europe, even if it costs more,” she said, adding that more people are intentionally flying through Canada rather than U.S. airports “because the Canadian customs experience feels safer, especially for queer, racialized or visibly Muslim travellers.”
Some airlines have adjusted their schedules to cater to shifting travel behaviour. International travellers who would usually change flights in the U.S., for example to and from Latin America, are now looking at flying via Canada, Mr. Gradek said.
“I think people are concerned about flying into the U.S. If you don’t really have to go into the U.S., don’t; if your travel basically takes you through the U.S., avoid the U.S. and try Canada, try Mexico,” he said.
“Brits that want to go to the Caribbean – if there’s no room on the non-stop services, they would normally fly through Miami or Atlanta to get there. Now they’re flying over to Toronto or Montreal to get to the Caribbean.”
He said airlines are also planning route changes to fly Canadians to sunny spots outside the U.S., while some airlines are using smaller planes for U.S. routes.
He pointed to Air Transat establishing new routes from Toronto to Guyana in South America, and from Quebec City to the French Antilles in the Caribbean.
“Airlines are flying to new destinations that can accommodate Canadians’ desire for sun and heat outside the U.S.,” he added. “There has been an increase in services across the Atlantic, and there has been an increase in services to the Caribbean.”
Canadian airline WestJet says it has adjusted its summer flight schedules to reflect passengers’ changing choices, including demand from Canadians to fly to Europe.
“I can confirm that due to a downward shift in transborder travel demand, WestJet recently adjusted planned summer flying between Canada and the U.S. and redeployed some aircraft to increase connectivity within Canada, between Canada and Europe, and between Canada and popular sun destinations,” said WestJet spokesman Josh Yeats.
Porter Airlines said it was expecting more demand for destinations within Canada, although its flights to the U.S. are also increasing, with a growth in its networks and new aircraft.
It said in a statement: “80 per cent of total network capacity during the summer peak period is now dedicated to domestic flights (up from the 75 per cent previously planned). We expect there to be greater interest in domestic travel this year and have added routes and increased flights in regions across Canada to meet this demand.”
Editor’s note: This article has been corrected to update a statement by John Gradek, a lecturer in supply networks and aviation at McGill University, regarding travellers who would normally fly through Miami or Atlanta to get to the Caribbean. They are now flying through Toronto or Montreal, rather than through London or Montreal as previously stated.