Air Canada is pulling out of New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport for nearly five months, becoming the latest airline to retreat as soaring fuel prices continue to reshape the industry.
According to Fox Business, the carrier announced that all JFK service from Toronto and Montreal will be suspended from June 1 through October 25, citing a sharp jump in jet fuel costs that has made some routes too expensive to keep operating.
The cuts go beyond New York. Air Canada is also pausing service to Salt Lake City beginning June 30, with those flights not expected to return until sometime in 2027. The airline is additionally suspending several lower-volume domestic routes and shelving a planned new route between Montreal and Guadalajara, Mexico.
“As we regularly do, we monitor and review our network to ensure that routes are meeting profitability targets,” Air Canada said in a statement. “Jet fuel prices have doubled since the start of the Iran conflict, affecting some lower profitability routes and flights, which are now no longer economically feasible.”
The airline stressed that it is not leaving the New York market entirely. Flights into nearby airports will continue, with service to both Newark and LaGuardia remaining intact. Air Canada already operates more heavily through those airports, running dozens of daily departures from cities across Canada.
According to Airlines for America, the average cost of jet fuel climbed to nearly $3.80 per gallon this week, more than 50% higher than before the conflict involving Iran began in late February. That spike has pushed carriers to raise baggage fees, reduce schedules, and cut routes that were already operating on thin margins.
Several U.S. airlines have already taken similar steps. JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, and United Airlines have all increased checked-bag fees in recent weeks to offset rising costs.
For some carriers, though, cutting flights may no longer be enough. Spirit Airlines is reportedly seeking emergency assistance from the government after warning signs that it may not survive the summer.
Spirit has already filed notices connected to layoffs, reduced routes, and a second bankruptcy process. Industry analysts now say the airline could face liquidation within days if fuel prices continue to climb and creditors refuse to extend more support.
“Spirit is flying on financial fumes,” airline analyst Henry Harteveldt recently told CBS News.
Air Canada’s route cuts affect only about 1% of its overall flying schedule for 2026.
