WestJet suspends 9 U.S. routes due to lower demand

WestJet is suspending nine routes to the United States due to lower demand among Canadians wanting to travel south, the airline told Global News.

The decision from one of Canada’s largest airlines comes as Canadians are increasingly turning away from travelling to the United States amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war against Canada and his rhetoric of making Canada the 51st American state.

“WestJet recently suspended planned flying to nine transborder routes for various portions of the summer schedule,” a WestJet spokesperson told Global News.

Many of the suspended routes are to popular American tourist destinations, such as Las Vegas and Orlando, Fla. These flights have been temporarily suspended for most of the summer.

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As of this writing, this is the list of flights that have been suspended:

May through October:

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• Vancouver (YVR) – Austin (AUS)

June only:

• Calgary (YYC) – Fort Lauderdale (FLL)
• Edmonton (YEG) – Chicago (ORD) *returning June 28
• St. John’s (YYT) – Orlando (MCO) *returning June 30
• Winnipeg (YWG) – Orlando (MCO)

June through August:

• Kelowna (YLW) – Seattle-Tacoma (SEA)
• Winnipeg (YWG) – Los Angeles (LAX) *returning Aug. 28

July through August:

• Edmonton (YEG) – Atlanta (ATL)
• Winnipeg (YWG) – Las Vegas (LAS)

“WestJet continuously evaluates and adjusts its schedule to meet demand, and we remain committed to reviewing opportunities for direct service on these routes in the future,” the spokesperson said.