State of Flux: Canadians Returning from U.S. by Air Down Over 24% in May

Many Canadians remain reluctant to travel to the U.S., with numbers dropping again in May for the fifth consecutive month compared to last year.

Statistics Canada data showed that return trips made by Canadians in May dropped significantly by air and land, with trips north by Americans also on the decline, but not nearly to the same extent.

For the month of May, StatsCan reported that Canadian return trips by air from the U.S. were down 24.2%, representing a drop of about 155,000 passengers. That was worse than April’s figures, which showed a drop of just under 20%.

In May, 1.3 million Canadians made a return trip by car from the U.S., a drop of 38.1% compared with the same month in 2024. That followed an April decline of 35.2%.

Fewer Americans made the journey north in May, with automobile traffic down 8.4% compared with last year. Air travel to Canada by American fell just slightly, by 0.3%.

There are a number of factors contributing to the reticence of Canadians to visit our southern neighbour. President Donald Trump’s rhetoric of making Canada the “51st state” was deeply offensive to many, and his on-again, off-again approach to tariffs and trade has exacerbated economic concerns. 

Added to these issues, the Canadian dollar continues to hover around the 70 cent mark versus the greenback, causing affordability concerns for potential travellers.

In response to the declining traffic, Canadian air carriers including Air Canada, WestJet, Flair and Air Transat have reduced trans-border flights.