WestJet dumps direct flights from Winnipeg to Atlanta, Nashville

WestJet has confirmed it is suspending direct flights from Winnipeg to Atlanta and Nashville as well as its seasonal flights to Orlando.

It blames the drop in the number of customers who were flying to the U.S. destinations.

The airline said it will “modestly increase capacity” from Winnipeg to Las Vegas this summer compared to last year.

“We saw a notable decline in trans-border travel demand throughout 2025,” WestJet spokeswoman Julia Kaiser said on Wednesday.

“As a result, we made timely decisions to modify our network to stay aligned with where Canadians want to go.”

Kaiser said as a result, flights across the border have been reduced by almost 10 per cent in the face of a 15 per cent drop during what was usually “historically peak travel times for the U.S.”

“We see no indication that this trend will change in the foreseeable future and have made further reductions to our trans-border network in 2026,” she said.

Many Canadians have been boycotting U.S. destinations because of a trade war launched by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Kaiser did say other passenger demand, including to domestic, Caribbean, transatlantic and transpacific locations, “remain strong” so it is adding flights to locations including to Toronto, Halifax, Thunder Bay, Ont., and Kelowna, B.C.

“Our airline is always reviewing its schedule and will make changes on an as-needed basis to meet the needs of Canadians.”

Kevin Rollason
Reporter

Kevin Rollason is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He graduated from Western University with a Masters of Journalism in 1985 and worked at the Winnipeg Sun until 1988, when he joined the Free Press. He has served as the Free Press’s city hall and law courts reporter and has won several awards, including a National Newspaper Award. Read more about Kevin.

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