Air Canada has announced plans to launch three new seasonal routes between Canada and the United States in summer 2026, even as travel between the two countries has declined.
The airline will resume service from Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ) to San Antonio International Airport (SAT), a route it last operated in 2020. In addition, Air Canada will introduce flights from Montreal-Trudeau International Airport (YUL) to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) and John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH) in Ohio. The YYZ-SAT route will operate three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays using an Airbus A220-300 aircraft. Both the YUL-CLE and YUL-CMH routes will be daily flights on Embraer E175 jets. All three services are scheduled to run seasonally from May 1 through October 2026.
This expansion comes at a time when transborder air travel is facing challenges. According to data from the U.S. International Trade Administration, Canadian arrivals in the United States by air dropped by 11% in the first half of this year compared to the same period in 2024, with only 4.7 million Canadians traveling south by air during that timeframe. Cirium data also indicates that Air Canada flew 7% fewer transborder seats from May through August this summer compared to last year.