Largest U.S. Cities Without Direct Flights to Canada

Canada is an exciting destination for many.  While it lacks the warm beaches of the Southern United States, Canadian cities have much to offer.  From the scenic wilderness of the Rocky Mountains, to the clean and bustling cities, many Americans love to visit Canada.

On the other side, prior to the Trump Administration, many Canadians loved to visit the United States.  Florida was a frequent winter destination for many.  Unfortunately, Trump has effectively declared Canada an enemy and Canadians have rightly fought back with their wallets, going to other destinations, leaving airlines, housing rentals, restaurants, and entertainment venues struggling.  I think the Administration grossly underestimated the power of Canadian money to our economy.

Here in Baltimore, Air Canada has teased us off and on for years with service.  Air Canada ended its most recent service to BWI in April of 2024.  Now Baltimore no longer has direct access to Canada.  

Many will say that people can just go to Washington Reagan National (DCA) or Washington Dulles (IAD).  Have you ever driven from Baltimore to DCA?  It always routes you down MD Route 295, also known as the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, one of the worst stretches of highway that I know.  Traffic is jammed bumper to bumper, but travels at speeds of up to 70 mph, and frequently comes to unanticipated emergency stops.  And Dulles is so far away.  It can take up to 2 hours to drive there.

I got to wondering, what are the largest metropolitan areas in the United States without direct commercial air service to Canada?  I say metropolitan areas to properly order the cities by population.  Anyone who has been to San Antonio knows they like to brag that they're the 7th largest city in the United States.  If that is the case, what is the name of their NFL team?  Sure, measured by city proper, they are the 7th largest, but intelligent people don't use that measurement when deciding to locate businesses or sports teams there.  

Here are the largest cities in the United States without direct commercial air service to any Canadian city.  My method was to use census provided data for metropolitan city populations, then search on Flightradar 24 to identify routes.

1. Baltimore - surprise!  Baltimore is the largest metropolitan area in the United States without direct service to Canada.  Baltimore has a metropolitan population of over 2.8 million people, ranking it 22nd in the country.

2. Kansas City - this one surprised me.  Kansas City spans across both Missouri and Kansas, though Trump thought that the Chiefs played in the Great state of Kansas.  Kansas City boasts a metropolitan population of 2.2 million, ranking it 31st in the country.  Note, however, that this is 9 places below Baltimore.

3. Norfolk - we've already gotten to cities that you probably wouldn't expect direct commercial air service to Canada.  Despite being home to the massive Atlantic Naval Fleet, Norfolk has a little is over 1.7 million people and 37th in metropolitan population.

4. Jacksonville - often billed as the cutest little town that can claim an NFL team, Jacksonville also has just over 1.7 million people and sits just under Norfolk at 28th in metropolitan population.

5. Providence - Rhode Island, if you don't know.  Providence is a mere 50 miles from Boston, so like Baltimore, catching a flight to Canada isn't "impossible", you just have to drive a bit to get there  Providence ranks just under Jacksonville at slightly over 1.7 people.

6. Milwaukee - Wisconsin.  Milwaukee ranks 41st in metropolitan population at 1.5 million people.  The city is 90 miles from Chicago, so it's a fair hike to get to O'Hare to catch a plane to Canada.

7. Oklahoma City -  This one does not shock me.  This state mandated that pregnant women display the Ten Commandments in the womb.  I think it's illegal for Jews and Muslims to live in Oklahoma (please correct me if I'm mistaken).  Oklahoma City proudly serves commercial aviation service to over 25 cities, 7 of them being to Texas airports.  It would take the length of 3 church services to get to Dallas for a flight to Canada.  Oklahoma City sits at 42nd in metropolitan population at a smidgen over 1.5 million.

8. Louisville - I removed cargo operations, which is dominated by UPS, which goes pretty much everywhere, and learned that Louisville, Kentucky offers no direct service to Canada.  Louisville is 43rd in metropolitan population and has slightly over 1.4 million people.

9. Richmond - Another Virginia city, once the capital of the Confederacy, Richmond is actually a really nice town.  Full of history with a modest growth rate, Richmond ranks 44th in metropolitan population at just under 1.4 million.

10. Memphis - another cargo hub, this one for FedEx, Memphis lacks direct commercial aviation service to Canada.  At 45th, Memphis' population actually shrank from the prior census and has a little over 1.3 million people.

Firetruck Friday!

More yellow firetruck!  Yellow firetrucks are my favorite!

White Deer Township Volunteer Fire Company

Blazing Arrow Hook and Ladder

Goodwill Fire Company

White Deer Volunteer Fire Company

Falls Township Fire Department, Bucks County Station 30

Southwest - Over 700 Unique Planes Photographed

I'm on a quest to photograph every Southwest Airlines plane.  It's a tough task to accomplish because it's a moving target.  For example, I've photographed multiple -300 series planes that are no longer in service.  I've also photographed many -700 series that have been taken out of service.  However, I never photographed all of their -700 series planes.  So at some point in time, I'll hopefully be able to say that I've photographed all active planes, but that will change soon thereafter.  

I've now photographed 702 unique Southwest Airlines planes, of which 437 are -700 series, and 189 are -800 series, and 91 are Max 8s.

Arizona One

Louisiana One

 

Everyone Is Leaving BWI

BWI has the dubious distinction of being right smack between Philadelphia and Washington, D.C..  Despite having a population just under 3 million, the metropolitan Baltimore area is growing much slower than its similarly sized metropolitan competitors.

                                   

Cities similar in size include Charlotte, NC, whose distinctions include despising the use of ", NC" after its name, in addition to Orlando, and San Antonio.  Up until the past couple of years, Baltimore struggled to maintain population, but was surpassed by Charlotte and Orlando.  Baltimore is ahead of St. Louis, but St. Louis is losing population.  I seriously doubt that St. Louis will ever seen another NFL team.  Behind them is Austin, Texas, and I'm confident that Austin will surpass Baltimore in population by the end of the 2020s.  

With the shrinking population and the competition with 2 much larger urban centers, Baltimore's BWI struggles to maintain a variety of airlines.  In recent times, Baltimore has lost, or is losing, Allegiant Air, Air Canada, Condor, Southern Airways Express, and Contour Airlines.

Being in charge of recruiting airlines to BWI has to be one of the most difficult jobs in the aviation industry.  Why should we come to BWI when we can just come to Dulles?

Who does BWI lose next?  I suspect it will be Play or Icelandair.  What do you think?

Firetruck Friday!

I attended my first Harrisburg Fire Expo last May.  Here are the yellow firetrucks from that show!

Lake Parsippany Volunteer Fire Company Utility 35, which is a 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD.

From Northern Baltimore County, this is Brush 443 from the Hereford Volunteer Fire Company, which is a 2024 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 4x4 / Vengeant Fire Devil.

Walnutttown Fire Company, Engine 32, which is a 2023 Spartan FC-94 / KME.

West Grove Fire Company Brush 22, which is a Knapheide-built brush truck built on a 2024 Ford F-250XL.

North Bango Fire & Rescue Tanker 3921, which is a 2024 Kenworth T880 and it holds 4,000 gallons!

Colt Neck Fire Department's Engine 84-180, which is a 2023 Spartan ER Metro Star (2000/1000).  

Citizens Volunteer Fire Company in Fawn Grove, Water Supply 56, which is a 2023 Spartan International HV 507 4x4 4Guys (1500/300).

From Liberty Hose Company in Williamstown, Pennsylvania, this is Engine 24, which is a 1998 Seagrave.  

Southwest Airlines - Quest to Photograph Them All

I have photographed more Southwest Airlines airplanes than any other airline.  To date, I have photographed 691 unique Southwest planes.  Not all of them are flying for Southwest any longer.  For instance, I have photographed three -300 series planes, and they haven't flown for a while.  Now Southwest is busy retiring the aging -700 series planes.  I have photographed 437 -700s. By comparison, they only have 346 active -700 planes.  I have plenty of Max 8s yet to photograph.

Last Flight of the Condor

Germany's Condor Airlines has offered summer fairs from BWI to Frankfurt (FRA) off-and-on for many years.  This past year, Condor graced us with the candy-stripers.  

For many years, Condor Airlines flew the Boeing 767 into Baltimore, and occasionally the Airbus A330.   This year, Condor flew the colorful candy-stripers.  Unfortunately (from my personal photography perspective), I was only able to get to BWI twice to photograph them landing this past summer.  Note: I spent nearly 2 weeks in South Korea this past summer, in addition to our normal week in Florida, plus I started a new role at work demanding a lot more of my time.

This past week, Condor Airlines announced that due to a German court ruling, they would be ending service to several U.S. cities, including Baltimore and Minneapolis.  The ruling ended a prior ruling that former Condor parent, Lufthansa, provide feeder routes to Condor's network.  This means that passengers could fly to Frankfurt , Germany via Condor, then hop on a connecting flight from Lufthansa and travel to other destinations that Condor did not serve.

So what is the future of Europe-bound air traffic from BWI?  Currently, BWI is served by two Icelandic airlines - Icelandair and Play.  However, there are rumors that Play is not going to stay much longer.  British Airways also serves BWI, which is almost the European mainland.  I remember when AerLingus flew to BWI, but I don't personally recall any other European airlines making BWI a regularly scheduled destination.

Could Lufthansa pick up the lost slot?  If so, I doubt they would send an actual Lufthansa plane, like the Boeing 787.  However, perhaps they would send their Discover Airlines.  A possible downfall with that idea is that Discover already flies to Philadelphia (PHL), and that may be deemed too close to BWI to offer additional service.  

What are your thoughts on BWI getting another European airline next summer?