If you live in the Maritimes and fly to the United States much, you’re likely aware that non-stop routes out of Halifax have a tendency to come and go. The convenience of completing US pre-clearance in Halifax instead of Montreal or Toronto – where lines can be long – is a terrific advantage to flying direct. The non-stop options at the moment aren’t too bad except for one glaring omission.
Halifax to the United States in Summer 2022
Boston
Philadelphia
Washington
Orlando
Air Canada usually offers year-round service to Boston and that route looks to be returning June 24. (WestJet once offered a non-stop to Boston as well but it was discontinued a few years ago.)
Chicago has occasionally popped up as a seasonal route on United Airlines in the past, but there is no sign of it in 2022.
What’s much more mysterious is the conspicuous absence of any non-stop flights from Halifax to New York City. For quite a while United Airlines provided year-round service to Newark and there have been seasonal flights to LaGuardia or JFK on Delta or American as well. Nothing this year.
Halifax to Philadelphia, Boston and Washington, DC.
American Airlines has apparently supplanted United as the main US airline flying to Halifax, at least for now. The seasonal daily non-stop to Philadelphia is currently set to resume June 3 and run till October 29, 2022. As an American Airlines hub, it’s a convenient option for using Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles to get to various destinations in the United States and beyond.
Note there is a window of opportunity to fly one-way to Europe in economy for only 22,500 Alaska miles (instead of 30,000) between October 15th and the 29th. Just remember to search as multi-city to get the most accurate availability. And remember that connecting in PHL on the journey home means an overnight layover.
A few months ago American Airlines announced two new seasonal routes from Halifax to add to its pre-existing Philadelphia offering: Boston and Washington (DCA). These flights are available on Saturdays only from June 4 to September 3, 2022. [UPDATE: these flights are now showing as bookable up to October 29, 2022]
As mentioned above, Air Canada already offers non-stop service from Halifax to Boston, but there has not been a non-stop to Washington from any airline for a while. It would be nice if that route was year-round but I suspect it’s intended more for Americans flying north during tourist season than Canadians going south.
Halifax to Florida
While Orlando is known as a popular winter destination, there are apparently enough folks heading to Florida in the warmer months to warrant a year-round non-stop on WestJet.
Air Canada is scheduled to start up flights to Orlando November 5 and Tampa on December 22, the same date the frequency of the Orlando flight changes to daily service.
Conclusion
Where the heck is the New York flight?
It’s curious to still be waiting for NYC. One would think airlines would be seizing the opportunity. Having said that : it would be the least surprising addition in 2023.
Your speculation that the Washington DC flight is “more for them than us” is sound : Americans can fly into NS and spend a week visiting. I’d say the appeal to spend 7 days in DC is perhaps less for Maritimers. Even a midweek option would add to the appeal, as I could see a 3-4 day vacation might tip the scales…