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.
