CHEEKTOWAGA, NY (WKBW) — As new tariffs on Canadian goods are set to go into effect on April 2, tensions between the United States and Canada are starting to take a noticeable toll on air travel.
According to OAG Aviation, the number of Canadians booking flights between Canada and the U.S. has dropped by a staggering 70 percent.
With Buffalo sharing a border with Canada, it’s not clear at this point how this decline in air traffic could impact Western New York.
I checked in with the Buffalo Niagara Airport in Cheektowaga to see how the situation is unfolding. I also spoke with travelers who shared their frustrations and concerns about the current state of relations between the two countries.
"We're losing a lot of snowbirds," said Michael Gilgunn, a West Seneca resident who recently arrived from Sarasota, Florida with his wife Carol.
The couple noted that many of their Canadian friends are now reluctant to travel to the U.S. due to the ongoing tariff conflict.
“They're afraid to travel, and that's unfortunate,” Carol said. “And one of them is an American, so yes, it is affecting people. It's something that we are having to deal with, or our government has to deal with, our government has to deal with.”
"We know some Canadians who will not come back down into the United States anymore," Michael said.
"Two of them that we had dinner with — they're not coming back next season to their rental," Carol added.
I checked in with Pascal Cohen, Senior Marketing Manager for the NFTA at the Buffalo Airport.
“That's really the saddest thing, because it's personal for us, for folks who live in border communities like we do, because Canadians are not just our neighbors, they're our friends and they're our best friend,” Cohen said.
Cohen explained that while they are already noticing a decrease in air traffic, the full impact of the situation is expected to be more pronounced after the Easter break. He said he believes many Canadians likely booked their flights in advance, before the tariffs were announced.
"I would bet the biggest impact we're going to see in May, June, and July, and hopefully, again, what that extent is — we don't know, but hopefully it will not be as bad as we all fear," Cohen says.
Despite the challenges, Cohen remains cautiously optimistic, unsure of how deeply the tariffs will affect Canadians who own property in the U.S.
"How concerned are you?" I asked.
“Well, it is really hard to tell because a lot of Canadians have property in places like Florida, so are the tariffs really going to affect folks going to their property? I don't know,” Cohen replied.
The Gilgunns, who have traveled to Florida for 15 years, said this is the first time they've encountered Canadians who are outright saying "no" to traveling to the U.S. due to the current political climate.
"This is the first time we've met negative Canadians, meaning they're not coming back," Gilgunnsaid. “It is sad.”
