Flight prices to some U.S. cities are down as tensions over the trade war have seen people cancel travel plans.Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
At this time of year, flight prices to popular U.S. destinations from Canada typically increase ahead of peak vacation months. But after tensions between the two countries have spurred many Canadians to travel elsewhere, flight prices for a number of U.S. cities have dropped.
For Canadians who are still interested in going to the U.S. despite the “elbows up” movement, round-trip flight prices to San Diego have fallen the most – costing an average of $433 as of early May, a nearly 37-per-cent year-over-year decline, according to data provided by online travel comparison platform Kayak. (These travel insights do not include specific departure cities.)
Other top flight price drops to select U.S. destinations from across Canada include Tampa, going for an average of $305, a 35-per-cent drop from last year. That’s followed by a 26-per-cent decrease for trips to Fort Myers, Fla., at an average of $311 for a round-trip flight. Next is Seattle, averaging $494, a nearly 18-per-cent fall from last year, and finally Los Angeles at an average price of $351, a 16-per-cent year-over-year decline.
In 2024, Canadian residents’ trips to the United States totalled 39 million, or about 75 per cent of all Canadian-resident travel abroad, according to Statistics Canada.
In recent months, that has declined, with Canadian residents’ return trips by air to the U.S. in April declining 14 per cent, and 24.2 per cent in May.
Canadians go elbows up on U.S. travel, opting for these destinations instead
When it comes to flying, more Canadians are choosing to spend their holidays elsewhere during the travel boycott. The number of Canadians searching for domestic flights rose by 25 per cent between January and June compared to a year ago, Kayak found.
In recent months, Flight Centre Canada has seen a steady interest among Canadian travellers opting to spend their vacations in Mexico, Southeast Asia, and European destinations like Paris, Dublin and London, spokesperson Amra Durakovic said.
Ms. Durakovic also told The Globe and Mail that there are 53 per cent fewer bookings from Canada to the U.S. compared to this time last year, according to Flight Centre Canada’s booking insights from April to May.
“Rather than pulling back on travel altogether, Canadians are just redirecting their plans and they’re travelling further afield,” she says, “because let’s face it, there’s a whole world out there to see. It’s not just the U.S.”
Ms. Durakovic says, despite the boycott, many Canadians are still flying to the U.S., whether for work, visiting family or to see their favourite artist perform. “A lot of us have family in the U.S. A lot of us have friends in the U.S., or we just want to go to a concert, or a hockey game.”
Some Canadians travel because they have to. That doesn’t mean travelling to the States during the trade war is free from feelings of shame.
“I do find myself posting a lot less about being in the States after everything,” says Emily Bignell, a Canadian working in Las Vegas as a production co-ordinator for a music group. Ms. Bignell’s work regularly takes her to other U.S. destinations. In the last few months, she travelled to Palm Springs, Calif., Columbus, Ohio, and Blytheville, Ark.
“I haven’t been to the States for fun in the last eight months, but I have been in and out of the States basically almost every weekend since January.”
She says that many of her friends, especially music lovers, have travelled to the U.S. despite the “elbows up” movement. “Realistically, if you’re going to go to a large music festival other than Osheaga in Canada, there’s not a ton, so you probably still end up going to the States.”
Ms. Bignell notes that, in her experience, some parts of the U.S. have been more welcoming to Canadians than others. She recalls arriving at the Palm Springs airport and seeing it decked out in banners that show the Canadian flag in the shape of a heart.
“I think that it’s better for the people at least to stay sympathetic to each other,” she says. “The governments can do whatever they want to do but it’s not the general population’s fault, in my opinion.”
Opinion: Forget ‘Buy Canadian.’ ‘Travel Canadian’ is actually making a difference
If trade matters were to improve between Canada and the U.S., Canadians aged 18 to 24 would be more inclined to return to the U.S. for travel, according to recent data from Earnscliffe Omni for Flighthub published in June.
Nearly half of the respondents in this demographic said a trade deal would make them more likely to travel south of the border and 48 per cent cited improved diplomatic ties as a motivating factor.
But there is still a long way to go. The report found that four in 10 Canadians said they would avoid travel to the U.S. owing to concerns about the political climate and public safety.
Ms. Durakovic encourages Canadians to shed that travel shame. “When you travel for leisure, you’re travelling for the experience,” she says. “What that experience is, is personal.”
