Canadians cancel U.S. travel plans amid anger over tariffs

MONTREAL — Airlines and travel companies are seeing bookings to the United States plummet as Canadians rethink their plans amid anger toward U.S. President Donald Trump as well as a weak loonie.

Travel agency Flight Centre Travel Group Canada says February bookings to American cities dropped 40 per cent from the same month in 2024, while one in five customers cancelled their trips to the U.S. over the past three months.

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Air Canada announced last month it would reduce flights by 10 per cent to Florida, Las Vegas and Arizona in March — usually go-to hot spots during spring break season.

WestJet also says there has been a shift in bookings from the U.S. to other sun destinations such as Mexico and the Caribbean.

Travel insurer Marty Firestone says Canadians’ sudden aversion to their southern neighbour marks a backlash to the sweeping tariffs against Canadian goods.

The loonie, which has hovered around 70 cents US for the past few months, has also given pause to travellers looking to stretch their budget.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 5, 2025.

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Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press