WestJet Axes Austin-to-Vancouver Flight Over Weak Demand
WestJet is dropping the flight just a couple of weeks ahead of its launch.
Photo: ErickPHOTOPRO / Shutterstock.com
WestJet is dropping plans for its Austin-Bergstrom International (AUS) to Vancouver International (YVR) flights just a couple of weeks ahead of its launch.
The flight was scheduled to launch in May 2025 and had been planned for months. WestJet had promoted the route as an “affordable way to explore Austin’s thriving music scene and renowned culinary culture, while also providing U.S.-based guests access to one of Canada’s most iconic metropolises.”
However, due to a “downward shift” in demand for U.S. travel, WestJet is canceling the route before it even gets off the ground, it told Austin’s KXAN. While the airline says it will look for opportunities to serve Austin in the future, it will leave the route to Air Canada, which continues to operate service between the two cities for the time being.
WestJet is far from the first airline to recognize a drop in U.S. inbound travel from Canada. Several airlines, including Delta Air Lines, a partner of WestJet, have cited a decrease in demand from Canadians traveling to the United States.
Air Canada is also scaling back service between Montréal-Trudeau International (YUL) and San Francisco International (SFO), opting for daily service instead of the twice-daily flights that had been planned, or the three-times-daily departures that were scheduled at the route’s peak in June 2025.
Data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows a similar trend. According to the latest figures, travelers coming to the United States from Canada fell by 12.5% in February and an additional 18% in March.
