Air Transat Exits Florida as Canadian Airlines Rethink Summer U.S. Sun Routes

Canadian travelers heading to Florida this summer are waking up to a very different flight map than they are used to. Air Transat has confirmed it will pull all of its remaining routes to the United States, including its last services to Orlando and Fort Lauderdale, effectively wiping out its Florida program for summer 2026. The move follows a series of cuts by Porter Airlines and WestJet that have already thinned out seasonal links between Canada and the Sunshine State. The headline is stark, but the reality on the ground is more nuanced than a blanket narrative of airlines “abandoning” Florida suggests.

Air Transat’s Exit: What Is Actually Being Canceled

Air Transat’s decision is the most clear-cut of the three carriers. The Montreal-based leisure airline is suspending all of its United States flying as of late spring, which means there will be no Air Transat-operated flights to any U.S. destination during the 2026 summer season. Florida, long a staple of the carrier’s sun portfolio, is at the center of this retrenchment.

According to the airline’s latest schedule updates and statements to Canadian media, service from Montreal to Orlando is set to end in early May, with the final flight scheduled around May 3 or May 4, 2026. Routes connecting Quebec City and Fort Lauderdale will follow by the end of May, and Montreal to Fort Lauderdale is expected to be the last to go, with operations ending in mid-June, around June 13, 2026. After these dates, Air Transat will have no scheduled flights to Florida at all for the summer period.

Internally, the carrier describes Florida as a marginal market that now accounts for roughly 1 percent of its summer seat capacity. Demand softness on cross-border routes, combined with better performance in Mexico, the Caribbean and new long-haul leisure destinations, has driven the company to concentrate aircraft and crews where they can earn more revenue. For travelers used to booking simple, bundled vacation packages to Orlando’s theme parks or South Florida beaches with Air Transat, this is a major change.

Porter and WestJet: Capacity Cuts, Not a Total Retreat

In contrast to Air Transat’s full withdrawal, the picture at Porter Airlines and WestJet is more about selective trimming than an outright summer blackout of Florida service. Both carriers have recently taken a hard look at their Canada–U.S. networks and pared back routes where demand has fallen short, including several Florida links, but neither has announced a complete summer shutdown of all Florida flying.

Porter, which has grown quickly with a new fleet of Embraer E195-E2 jets, has marketed U.S. sun destinations aggressively from Toronto and Ottawa. It has, however, scaled back some seasonal Florida frequencies and adjusted launch timelines on new routes as forward bookings weakened. Industry schedule data show Porter swapping capacity into stronger business and transborder city markets while quietly shelving or reducing some Florida plans for the peak summer months. That can look like a “cancellation wave” on social media, but the airline is still present in the state, particularly in winter when demand is strongest.

WestJet, meanwhile, has conducted the most visible pruning of U.S. service among the major Canadian carriers. The airline has removed or suspended a growing list of transborder routes, citing softer leisure demand and a desire to fortify its core western Canada and transatlantic operations. Some of those cuts have directly affected Florida, including suspensions of Winnipeg–Orlando and adjustments to Calgary–Fort Lauderdale and Florida-linked services that were once slated to operate more robustly through the summer. Yet WestJet’s Florida footprint is not being erased entirely; a number of routes continue to operate on a seasonal or reduced-frequency basis, sometimes focused more heavily on winter and shoulder seasons than on the core summer months.

Why Canadian Airlines Are Pulling Back From Florida

Behind the headlines sits a set of structural factors that are reshaping how Canadian airlines view Florida and the broader U.S. leisure market. The most immediate driver is demand. Multiple aviation data providers and government statistics have pointed to a sharp decline in Canadian outbound travel to the United States over the past year, with bookings to U.S. destinations down dramatically versus prior summers. Airlines that planned for robust cross-border rebounds have instead been confronted with weaker load factors and intense fare competition.

Some of this softening is economic. With a weaker Canadian dollar, higher fuel prices feeding into airfares, and lingering inflation in hotel and car rental rates, a family vacation to Florida now feels significantly more expensive in Canadian dollars than it did just a few years ago. At the same time, all-inclusive resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean have become relatively more attractive value propositions, particularly for leisure-focused carriers like Air Transat that specialize in sun packages.

Geopolitical and policy tensions are also playing a role. New tariffs and a souring political climate between Ottawa and Washington have introduced a layer of uncertainty that affects both business and leisure travelers. Media coverage of high-profile immigration enforcement incidents has added to a perception, fair or not, that cross-border trips carry more risk or hassle than in the past. Airlines insist they are simply following the data, but those data are shaped by traveler sentiment in a changing political environment.

Network Strategy: Following the Profits, Not the Emotions

To understand why airlines appear to be making such dramatic changes at once, it helps to view the decisions through the lens of fleet and network planning rather than national pride or politics. An aircraft and crew that sit on a half-full flight to Orlando all summer could be generating much higher revenue on a transatlantic service or a domestic trunk route that is consistently full at healthier fares.

Air Transat has been explicit that its future lies in strengthening its position as a long-haul leisure specialist. In recent seasons, the carrier has invested in expanding service to beach destinations like Cancun and Punta Cana while also opening or growing routes to more niche vacation spots in Europe and Africa. Seats moved out of Florida are being redeployed into those markets, where advance bookings are often stronger and competition from U.S. carriers is less intense.

WestJet is playing a similar game of strategic reallocation. After a period of rapid, sometimes patchy expansion into the United States, the airline has shifted focus to building a robust transatlantic operation from its western hubs and solidifying domestic connectivity. Cutting underperforming U.S. routes, including some Florida flights, helps free aircraft for European leisure routes and higher-yield domestic flights. From a traveler’s perspective in a city like Winnipeg or Edmonton, that may feel like abandonment of U.S. options, but from WestJet’s balance sheet perspective it is an attempt to right-size a network that had become stretched.

Porter, still in the earlier stages of its jet-powered expansion, appears keen to avoid the same missteps. Its Florida tweaks are better understood as a cautious recalibration rather than a change of heart about serving the state. By dialing back summer capacity now, Porter reduces the risk of flying empty seats and preserves aircraft utilization for routes that more reliably fill up at sustainable fares.

What This Means for Canadian Travelers Heading to Florida

For Canadian travelers planning Florida trips in summer 2026, the practical impact will depend heavily on where they live and how flexible they can be with dates and routings. The most immediate losers are passengers who relied on nonstop Air Transat service from Montreal and Quebec City to Orlando and Fort Lauderdale. Those simple point-to-point holiday flights will not exist this summer, forcing travelers to connect via other hubs or switch airlines entirely.

In markets where WestJet and Porter have trimmed summer Florida flying, travelers may face fewer nonstop options, reduced frequencies, or more awkward flight times. A route that once operated several times a week in summer may now appear only in winter schedules, or vice versa. Some families could find that their preferred combination of departure day, time and price simply does not exist with the Canadian carriers they usually fly.

Counterintuitively, that does not necessarily mean Florida will be unreachable or that fares will surge uniformly. U.S. airlines have been more aggressive in preserving or even adding capacity on certain Canada–U.S. corridors, particularly from major Canadian gateways. Travelers willing to connect through American hubs like Atlanta, Charlotte, New York or Chicago will still find viable options for Florida vacations. The trade-off is more time in transit and, in some cases, higher total travel costs than a direct charter-style flight from home.

Alternative Routes and Workarounds for Summer 2026

For those determined to reach Florida this summer, the key is to think a bit more like a planner and less like a package-tour customer. Instead of expecting a single Canadian leisure airline to carry you non-stop to Orlando, you may need to piece together an itinerary that includes a connection or even a border crossing by land.

One strategy is to tap into the dense network of U.S. carriers that serve major Canadian cities. From hubs like Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary, travelers can connect on American, Delta, United, or low-cost competitors to reach Orlando, Tampa, Miami, Fort Lauderdale and other Florida airports. While that can add complexity and connection risk, it opens up a wider range of schedules and sometimes competitive fares, especially outside peak holiday weeks.

Another approach for those living near the border is to depart from a U.S. airport within driving distance. Residents of southern Quebec and Ontario, for instance, may find more options and lower fares if they start their journey from airports in upstate New York or northern New England rather than from their home Canadian airport. This is not a new tactic, but the thinning of Canadian carriers’ Florida schedules may make it more appealing for cost-conscious travelers.

Finally, some vacationers may pivot destinations altogether, choosing Mexican or Caribbean resorts that Canadian airlines are now prioritizing. For travelers focused on beaches and warm weather rather than specific theme parks or Florida attractions, these alternatives could offer more convenient nonstop flights from their home cities and better overall value once on the ground.

Separating Hype From Reality: Is Florida Being “Abandoned”?

The narrative that “Canadian airlines are abandoning Florida” is simple and dramatic, but it does not fully match the data. Air Transat is indeed walking away from all U.S. flying for the summer, including Florida, which is a clear and significant shift. WestJet and Porter have cut or suspended multiple Florida and broader U.S. routes, especially for the upcoming peak season, yet neither has declared a full retreat from the state. Routes have been reduced, frequencies adjusted and seasonal patterns altered, but Florida remains on their maps in some form, particularly in periods of stronger demand.

What is undeniable is that the relationship between Canadian travelers, their home airlines, and Florida is being rebalanced. Cross-border demand shocks, economic pressures and shifting corporate strategies have converged to make the old model of plentiful, straightforward summer nonstops less sustainable. Travellers will need to adjust expectations, budget more time and effort for planning, and weigh whether Florida still offers the best mix of experience and value compared with the growing menu of sun destinations accessible from Canada.

For now, the truth behind the cancellations is less about a sudden dislike of the Sunshine State and more about airlines doing what they always do in turbulent times: following the money, redeploying scarce resources, and hoping their customers will adapt. Canadian travelers who understand that context will be better positioned to navigate the new landscape, whether they choose to endure the extra connections to reach Florida or follow their airlines to wherever the next hot beach deal may be.