Air Canada abruptly axes major US routes throwing summer vacation plans into chaos

Air Canada has scrapped key New York flights for the entire summer as a war-driven fuel crisis begins to wreak havoc on global travel.

The carrier said it will suspend all flights to John F Kennedy Airport from both Toronto and Montreal starting June 1, with flights not returning until October 25.

The cuts land right in the middle of peak vacation season, raising fears of wider disruption as airlines grapple with spiraling costs.

Behind the decision is a brutal surge in jet fuel prices triggered by the conflict involving Iran.

Fuel costs have nearly doubled in weeks, jumping from around $2.50 a gallon before the war to $4.32 this week, according to industry data.

‘As jet fuel prices have doubled since the start of the Iran conflict and some lower profitability routes and flights are no longer economic, and we are making schedule adjustments accordingly,’ a spokesman for the Montreal-based carrier said Friday.

It means one of the busiest cross-border routes in North America is now temporarily off the map.

Passengers booked on affected flights will be contacted and offered alternative options.

An Air Canada Express jet collided with a ground vehicle at New York’s LaGuardia Airport last month, killing two pilots

Airlines typically spend more on fuel than almost anything else 

Air Canada is not abandoning New York entirely. It is shifting capacity.

The carrier will continue running 34 daily flights into LaGuardia Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport, meaning travelers may still reach the city – just not via JFK.

Airlines typically spend more on fuel than almost anything else. 

This month, Delta Air Lines said rising fuel prices would add about $2 billion to its second-quarter costs. Carriers such as JetBlue and United Airlines have increased baggage fees to help offset soaring fuel expenses, while others are cutting back on service.

In an Associated Press interview on Thursday, International Energy Agency director Fatih Birol warned that Europe may have only about six weeks of jet fuel supplies left, and that the global economy is facing what he called its ‘largest energy crisis.’

Last month, an Air Canada flight collided with a ground vehicle while landing at LaGuardia, killing two pilots.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating what went wrong.

Air Canada said the company was ‘deeply saddened’ by the crash and was assisting authorities.