dailynewsnblog
Recent times have seen the relationship between the US and Canada become increasingly strained, with tensions between the two countries’ governments reflected in changes to travel demand and, subsequently, airline schedules. Indeed, flag carrier Air Canada recently cut its Montréal-Seattle flights, following similar moves by WestJet and Air Transat as Canadian passengers vote with their feet and look to fly to other markets.
In this context, it is interesting to examine the other side of the coin, and take a look at the respective Canadian networks of the ‘big three’ US legacy carriers: oneworld’s American Airlines, SkyTeam’s Delta Air Lines, and Star Alliance’s United Airlines. Using February 2026 scheduling data made available by Cirium, an aviation analytics company, let’s crunch the numbers and see which routes these carriers serve, and with which frequencies.
United Airlines
Cirium’s data shows that United Airlines has the largest Canada-bound schedule of the US big three this month, which is to be expected given its alliance partnership with Air Canada. The carrier has scheduled 1,527 departures across the border, offering 162,049 seats, and the route from Newark (EWR) to Toronto (YYZ) is its most popular, with as many as seven daily flights. These are operated by regional partner Republic Airways.
United’s top mainline Canadian route connects San Francisco (SFO) with Vancouver (YVR) three times a day, a frequency that is matched by its regional services from Washington (IAD) to Ottawa (YOW) and Toronto, and New York to Ottawa. Elsewhere in Canada, as reported by The Travel, the airline has been boosting its presence in Halifax, with Joyce Carter, the President & CEO of the Halifax International Airport Authority, saying:
“The strength of our international network, including a wide variety of non-stop flights between Halifax and Europe, the US, and the Caribbean Basin, offers more choice for residents, visitors, and business travellers than ever before.”
Delta Air Lines
Atlanta-based SkyTeam founding member 
Delta Air Lines ranks second on the list, with 1,106 one-way departures offering a grand total of 96,668 seats on its routes to Canada this month. Its top route on this front by frequency also serves Toronto, with up to six flights a day scheduled from LaGuardia Airport (LGA) in New York. Delta Air Lines’ flights on this route are operated by Endeavor Air under the Delta Connection brand.
This route has 158 one-way departures pencilled in this month, with the only other three-figure total being found on the West Coast, namely between Seattle (SEA) and Vancouver. With five SkyWest-operated regional flights a day in February, this corridor will see 140 departures, while Detroit (DTW) to Toronto just misses the three-figure mark, with 99. These services, like its thrice-daily ones from JFK to Toronto, are operated by Endeavor Air.
As far as mainline operations are concerned, Delta Air Lines’ top Canadian route by frequency that it operates itself connects its main hub at Atlanta International Airport (ATL) with Montréal (YUL) up to three times a day, with 78 departures. Its mainline flights also link Atlanta with Toronto 70 times this month, while daily mainline Delta services connect Minneapolis (MSP) and Salt Lake City (SLC) to Vancouver, and Minneapolis to Calgary (YYC).
Canada’s Carriers Are Ghosting The US For A New Preferred Neighbor
Canada-US flying continues to drop as Canadians choose alternative destinations.
American Airlines
Rounding out the big three, 
American Airlines just about clears the four-figure mark, with 1,048 one-way departures scheduled on Canada-bound flights this month. Collectively speaking, these services will offer a grand total of 88,463 seats, with Toronto, once again, being the most popular destination. Indeed, three American hubs have three-figure departure totals to this city: LaGuardia (136), Chicago O’Hare (131), and Charlotte (100).
These three routes are all served by American Airlines’ regional partners under the American Eagle feeder brand, with Republic Airways, Envoy Air, and PSA Airlines respectively looking after them. Elsewhere, three flights a day are operated by Piedmont Airlines from Philadelphia (PHL) to Montréal and Toronto, while American Airlines’ top mainline-operated Canada-bound route links Dallas/Fort Worth Airport (DFW) with Vancouver twice a day.
