Quebec travellers may need to adjust their summer plans: Air Transat has announced the suspension of its flights to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, Florida, for the summer of 2026. The last Air Transat flight departing from Montreal to Orlando will take off on May 3rd, the airline confirms.
For Fort Lauderdale, the final flights from Quebec City and Montreal are scheduled for May 30th, 2026, and June 13th, 2026, respectively. Leading up to these dates, the frequency of departures from Montreal will gradually decrease, with one flight per week maintained from Quebec City.
Air Transat assures customers who have already purchased tickets for dates following the suspension that they will be accommodated and reimbursed. The airline states the decision to suspend flights to these US destinations stems from consistently low passenger numbers during the summer months.
“Air Transat’s presence in the United States today is very marginal, representing only 1% of our average seat-kilometre capacity for the summer,” explained spokesperson Andréan Gagné to Radio-Canada. Of the 67 destinations served by Transat, only two are located in the US: Fort Lauderdale and Orlando.
This adjustment is part of a proactive capacity management strategy, allowing Air Transat to focus its efforts on markets where it is best positioned and can optimize resource deployment, Gagné added.
A decline in interest from Quebec travellers towards the United States has also been observed since the re-election of Donald Trump. Data published last month by aeronautical data firm Cirium reveals that the volume of flights between Canada and the US fell by more than 14% in the fourth quarter compared to the previous year.
Simultaneously, Transat has noted an increase in bookings to other sun destinations, including Mexico and the Caribbean, even during off-peak periods.
It’s worth noting that earlier this week, Transat, along with Air Canada and WestJet, temporarily suspended all flights to Cuba due to the ongoing kerosene shortage on the island. The company is organizing a return plan to Canada for travellers currently in Cuba, including regular flights and additional repatriation flights.
What does this mean for travellers? If you have a booking to Fort Lauderdale or Orlando with Air Transat after the specified dates, contact the airline directly to discuss your options. You can find more information on the Air Transat website.
Further Reading: For more information on travel trends and airline news, consider exploring resources like Cirium and The Globe and Mail.
