Air Canada’s latest cancellations could leave some travelling ‘double the time, even triple’

Gas prices have hit a four-year high, driving up travel costs and prompting Air Canada to reduce service. Andrew Johnson has more on what it all means.

VANCOUVER - For Metro Vancouver’s Alexandra Antonovitch, the direct Air Canada flight from Vancouver to Raleigh, N.C., made visiting her parents far simpler.

“It just takes only five hours,” she told CTV News. “Usually I would take connecting flights, and that would be about double the time, even triple.”

That seasonal route is now ending earlier than planned this summer as airlines look for ways to offset soaring jet fuel prices related to the conflict in Iran.

An Air Canada spokesperson told CTV News the Vancouver to Raleigh route will see its final seasonal flight on July 29, earlier than expected.

• Air Canada fuel price impact cuts seasonal routes early

Antonovitch sees the cancellation as another hit to everyday life in 2026.

“We travel around a lot in our car and we see the gas prices going up every day,” said the Burnaby, B.C. resident. “I’m sure that also affects the food prices and the flights and everything in our daily lives.”

The airline says the route reduction is directly tied to the rising cost of jet fuel, which has more than doubled since the start of the Iran war.

Air Canada is also ending seasonal service early on three other routes:

• Toronto to Sacramento — last flight Aug. 1
• Toronto to Charleston — last flight Sept. 6
• Montreal to Austin — last flight Sept. 7

The airline says customers who have already booked are being contacted with alternate options or a refund.

Last month, Air Canada suspended flights departing from Toronto and Montreal to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport between June 1 and Oct. 25. WestJet has also announced plans to reduce capacity by about three per cent in May and nearly six per cent in June.

The disruptions are also beginning to affect travel insurance coverage.

Manulife says it is now classifying the jet fuel shortage as a “known event” under its trip cancellation and interruption insurance policies.

That means travellers purchasing Manulife coverage on or after May 5, 2026 generally will not be covered for disruptions related to the issue.

Manulife says airlines remain responsible for providing refunds, rebooking options or travel credits when flights are cancelled due to fuel shortages.

With files from CTV Toronto’s Chris Fox