Canada’s flag-carrier has become the third major airline this month to trim trans-border capacity, confirming on February 21 that its seasonal Montréal (YUL) – Seattle (SEA) service will not launch on May 1 as scheduled. The cancellation follows similar moves by WestJet and Air Transat, which have cut or postponed a combined 25 U.S. routes since January in response to softer south-bound demand. (timeout.com)
Aviation data firm Ailevon Pacific shows no inventory loaded for the YUL-SEA sector through summer 2026, and industry tracker Ishrion Aviation first flagged the disappearance earlier this week. Air Canada’s decision removes nonstop connectivity between two growing tech hubs—home to Amazon, Microsoft, Ubisoft and CGI—and will oblige business travellers to route through Toronto, Vancouver or U.S. hubs, adding two to three hours to end-to-end journey times.
Whether your rerouted itinerary now touches additional U.S. gateways or you need to pivot to another international destination altogether, VisaHQ can streamline the visa or ESTA paperwork before you fly. Their Canadian portal (https://www.visahq.com/canada/) lets travellers, corporate mobility teams, and even air-cargo couriers check entry requirements and submit applications online, so documentation keeps pace with fast-changing airline schedules.
![Air Canada scraps planned Montréal–Seattle route amid broader pullback on U.S. flights]()
Analysts cite the strong U.S. dollar, elevated airfare, and lingering political tensions as factors dampening demand for discretionary leisure trips and short-notice corporate travel. Statistics Canada reported a 24 per cent year-over-year drop in Canadian visits to the United States in January, with air arrivals falling nearly 18 per cent. Airlines have responded by redeploying aircraft to sun destinations and European gateways where demand and yields remain robust.
Procurement teams at multinational firms should revisit travel budgets and connection times for West Coast meetings. Mobility managers relocating staff between Montréal and Seattle may need to consider longer temporary accommodation windows to account for indirect routings. Cargo shippers using the belly capacity on the Airbus A220 service must now seek alternative lift or route via Toronto.
While Air Canada says it remains committed to the U.S. market, network planners hint that further seasonal adjustments are possible if demand fails to recover by late spring. Travel buyers are advised to monitor GDS inventory and secure contingency blocks on remaining flights linking Canada’s eastern provinces with the U.S. Pacific Northwest.
Aviation data firm Ailevon Pacific shows no inventory loaded for the YUL-SEA sector through summer 2026, and industry tracker Ishrion Aviation first flagged the disappearance earlier this week. Air Canada’s decision removes nonstop connectivity between two growing tech hubs—home to Amazon, Microsoft, Ubisoft and CGI—and will oblige business travellers to route through Toronto, Vancouver or U.S. hubs, adding two to three hours to end-to-end journey times.
Whether your rerouted itinerary now touches additional U.S. gateways or you need to pivot to another international destination altogether, VisaHQ can streamline the visa or ESTA paperwork before you fly. Their Canadian portal (https://www.visahq.com/canada/) lets travellers, corporate mobility teams, and even air-cargo couriers check entry requirements and submit applications online, so documentation keeps pace with fast-changing airline schedules.
Analysts cite the strong U.S. dollar, elevated airfare, and lingering political tensions as factors dampening demand for discretionary leisure trips and short-notice corporate travel. Statistics Canada reported a 24 per cent year-over-year drop in Canadian visits to the United States in January, with air arrivals falling nearly 18 per cent. Airlines have responded by redeploying aircraft to sun destinations and European gateways where demand and yields remain robust.
Procurement teams at multinational firms should revisit travel budgets and connection times for West Coast meetings. Mobility managers relocating staff between Montréal and Seattle may need to consider longer temporary accommodation windows to account for indirect routings. Cargo shippers using the belly capacity on the Airbus A220 service must now seek alternative lift or route via Toronto.
While Air Canada says it remains committed to the U.S. market, network planners hint that further seasonal adjustments are possible if demand fails to recover by late spring. Travel buyers are advised to monitor GDS inventory and secure contingency blocks on remaining flights linking Canada’s eastern provinces with the U.S. Pacific Northwest.
