Canadian workers are continuing to fly to the United States for business despite ongoing trade tensions between the two countries, according to new travel data shared with CTV News.
Corporate Traveller Canada reported that U.S. cross-border air bookings reached 58,584 through August 2026, a six per cent increase compared to the same period in 2025. Corporate Traveller Canada is part of Flight Centre Travel Group Canada, which also owns Flight Centre Canada.
Amra Durakovic, head of communications for Flight Centre Travel Group Canada, said the situation remains “fluid” and that the full impact of the latest U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods is not yet known. She said business travel initially reacted to rising trade tensions but did not remain suppressed.
“When tensions first picked up over tariffs in February of 2025, we did see some businesses pull back, but by the end of 2025, U.S. cross-border business bookings were basically flat for the year, and now they’re growing again,” Durakovic said in a video interview with CTVNews.ca.
According to the data, U.S. cross-border business air bookings rose 4.1 per cent year over year in January before declining in February and March. Bookings then picked up through the spring and summer, climbing to a 16.5 per cent year-over-year increase in August — the largest monthly jump so far in 2026.
Durakovic said the trend suggests that even as some companies pause or reconsider trips amid trade friction, many still need an in-person presence in key U.S. markets. She said this pattern is showing up across sectors including manufacturing, mining and natural resources, finance and banking, and technology, noting that some business relationships — such as those involving customers, suppliers or investors based in the U.S. — are harder to maintain remotely.
Corinne Pohlmann, executive vice-president of advocacy for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, said the findings were not a major surprise. She said new tariffs don’t necessarily bring existing business relationships to an immediate halt, and that companies may instead choose to meet face to face with suppliers or customers to work through emerging issues.
While business travel has shown resilience, leisure travel to the U.S. told a different story, according to Flight Centre Canada data. Durakovic said leisure travel tends to be far more sensitive to sentiment, since the decision to travel is personal and discretionary.
New U.S. leisure bookings fell 35 per cent in January 2026 compared to the prior year, and were down 29 per cent in February. Bookings rose slightly in the spring before dropping 27 per cent in June. They then improved, rising seven per cent in July and 17 per cent in August, both on a year-over-year basis.
Despite the recent upticks, Durakovic said U.S. travel overall remains below 2024 levels. She noted that new U.S. bookings fell by an average of 40 per cent in 2025, meaning this year’s gains are being measured against a very low starting point.
Durakovic added that Canadian leisure travellers have not stopped travelling altogether — they are simply increasingly choosing destinations other than the United States.
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