WestJet Cuts 10 U.S. Routes Amid Trade Conflict, Rising Costs

WestJet has eliminated 10 routes from its U.S. network in 2026, with Edmonton, Vancouver, Toronto and Winnipeg among the Canadian cities affected as demand for travel south of the border continues to soften.

As first reported by Simple Flying, data from aviation analytics company Cirium shows the airline has discontinued 10 transborder routes this year amid ongoing political tensions, trade disputes and rising jet fuel prices.

Edmonton International Airport has been hit hardest, accounting for half of the cuts, the report points out.

WestJet has eliminated five U.S. routes from Edmonton, including nonstop flights to Atlanta, Nashville, Chicago, Seattle and San Francisco.

The Nashville and Chicago services each lasted just one season before being discontinued.

Vancouver International Airport has lost three WestJet routes, with nonstop service to Boston, Nashville and Lihue, Hawaii, eliminated.

The cancellation of the Lihue route leaves Vancouver without nonstop service to the Hawaiian destination. JetBlue continues to operate seasonal flights to Boston, while Air Canada serves Nashville seasonally.

At Toronto Pearson, WestJet discontinued its nonstop Los Angeles service in April, leaving Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver as its remaining Canadian gateways to the California city.

Air Canada and Porter Airlines continue to offer nonstop flights between Toronto and Los Angeles.

Winnipeg also lost its WestJet service to Nashville in May, leaving the airport with five U.S. destinations: year-round flights to Chicago, Denver and Minneapolis, plus seasonal service to Fort Lauderdale and Las Vegas.

Canadian Travel To U.S. Under Pressure

The reductions come amid a widely-publicized downturn in Canadian travel to the United States, with political tensions and shifting consumer sentiment continuing to influence travel decisions.

According to the latest Statistics Canada figures, Canadian trips to the U.S. in September 2026 remained approximately 29 per cent below September 2024 levels.

Despite a seven per cent increase compared with September 2025, cross-border travel still remains well below levels recorded two years ago, with automobile trips down 31 per cent and air travel declining 19 per cent.

Also, WestJet isn’t alone in adjusting its U.S. network.

Air Canada is also preparing to discontinue several transborder routes by the end of October, including Montreal flights to Minneapolis and Detroit, along with Toronto’s nonstop service to Indianapolis.