Airlines add routes to Atlantic Canada as U.S. travel demand drops

Maria Sarrouh reports on how airlines like WestJet, Porter, and Air Canada are seeing fewer U.S. flights and growing demand for domestic routes, especially to destinations like P.E.I.

Touching down in P.E.I. just got a lot easier for Toronto travellers.

Porter now flies daily between Charlottetown and Canada’s biggest city, up from four times per week. It also added new links to Moncton, N.B., and Deer Lake Regional Airport in Newfoundland.

“More options is better,” said Jeff Andreasen after landing at Charlottetown Airport.

The airline says it ramped up service this summer, partly because more Canadians are skipping the United States.

Porter also has more jets to handle the influx, more markets for connecting flights and says it’s seeing more repeat customers.

“We’ve made quite a few schedule changes in the U.S. over the past few months to reflect some softening of the demand,” said Andrew Pierce, the airline’s Network Planning Vice-President.

In June, Statistics Canada data showed Canadian return trips from the U.S. fell for five straight months.

At the airport, travellers blamed U.S. President Donald Trump.

“Because of the rhetoric from Trump about taking over Canada,” said Michael Deane.

Ann Wonnacott added: “I guess they’re just scared of crossing the border.”

Porter says it’s seeing 20 per cent more domestic bookings from June through August than in 2024.

“We go where the demand is,” Pierce said. “Overall, the P.E.I. market is newer to us, but we’ve been able to grow our presence there because people have tried us over the years, and they want to keep trying us in all the markets they can.”

It’s not just Porter or P.E.I. riding the wave.

WestJet added direct flights to Halifax and Deer Lake from major cities across the country. Air Canada also expanded its schedule across the East Coast.

Porter says it’s watching the numbers. If the appetite for visiting Atlantic Canada stays strong, new routes could be cleared for takeoff over the long term.