Air Canada Pushes Beyond the US as Winter Travel Patterns Shift

Air Canada is expanding in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Europe, while adding no new US cities.

The airline announced its winter 2026-27 schedule on April 6.

New routes show where the airline expects stronger demand

The airline is adding flights from Toronto and Montreal to Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands. It is also adding Roatán, Santo Domingo, Mérida, and Mazatlán to its winter network.

From Vancouver, Air Canada is also expanding service to Liberia in Costa Rica, Monterrey in Mexico, and Puerto Escondido in Mexico.

The move follows a drop in Canada-US travel

The strategy comes as travel demand between Canada and the US remains weaker. Statistics Canada said Canadian-resident return trips from the US fell 14.5 percent year over year in February 2026. Air return trips dropped 17.6 percent.

At the same time, international demand outside the US stayed stronger. Canadian-resident return trips from overseas countries by air rose 7.2 percent in February. Canadians are still traveling abroad, but more of them are choosing destinations beyond the US.

This matters beyond airlines

Air Canada is not the only carrier making this kind of shift. Canadian airlines more broadly have been putting more focus on Mexico, the Caribbean, and Latin America as demand patterns change.

More flights can support hotels, airports, tour operators, and local tourism businesses. Fewer additions to the US market can make growth harder for destinations that depend on Canadian winter travelers.

Fleet changes are helping Air Canada expand

Air Canada will use the Airbus A321XLR for Tenerife, giving it a way to launch longer routes with a smaller aircraft. That makes it easier to open leisure routes that may not need a larger widebody jet.

The airline is also growing leisure-focused flying from Vancouver through Air Canada Rouge. By the end of 2026, it expects 45 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to be based there, giving it more room to expand winter sun flying.

This winter schedule extends Air Canada’s shift beyond the US

Air Canada’s latest winter move also fits a broader pattern when the airline said it was shifting flying beyond the US as transborder demand cooled and other international markets looked stronger. That made the current winter schedule feel less like a one-off network update and more like a continuation of a strategy already taking shape across Air Canada’s wider network.

Photo by Larry Nalzaro on Unsplash