by Jen Mallia
Last updated: 11:45 AM ET, Tue May 5, 2026
The latest flight to fall victim to high fuel prices and softening demand is the seasonal route between Toronto and Sacramento. The route has previously operated from June to mid-October, but will now fly a shortened season, ending Aug. 1, 2026. The airline intends to reinstate it for summer 2027.
Air Canada also flies directly to Sacramento from Vancouver. That flight will not be affected.
According to the Sacramento Bee, other shuttered seasonal Air Canada routes include Vancouver to Raleigh, North Carolina; Toronto to Charleston, South Carolina; and Montreal to Austin. Those flights will also end earlier than planned this year, in July and September, respectively. All four routes are also set to resume in summer 2027.
In a previously reported story, Air Canada announced that jet fuel costs have influenced the airline’s routine route analysis, and adjustments were made due to fuel prices, which the release said had “doubled since the start of the Iran conflict.” In that same release, the airline announced it was cancelling six routes.
Despite the skyrocketing cost of jet fuel, Air Canada reported a strong first quarter for its 2026 fiscal year. The carrier posted record first-quarter operating revenues of CAD$5.8 billion, up more than 11% year over year, alongside operating income of $117 million, a $225 million improvement from Q1 2025.
“Ongoing disruption in global energy markets… and the significant volatility in jet fuel prices” have made forecasting unreliable, the airline said. The pinch points that are making the forecast difficult include the Middle East conflict impacting global energy supply, disruptions to shipping routes, including along the Strait of Hormuz and unpredictable fuel pricing for the second half of 2026.
Air Canada expects to offset 50–60% of higher fuel costs through pricing and cost controls, but not all of it.
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