Up, up & away

Canadian tourists may be taking a big step back from the U.S., but corporate travel appears to be business as usual

AT A RECENT  industry conference, United Airlines CFO Mike Leskinen surprised when he said business travel had made a sudden rebound in 2025, perhaps mirroring a rebound in in-office work. “It was like a light switch, [in] late July, early August,” he said. “Bookings are really strong, particularly corporate, going into the fourth quarter.”

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It doesn’t seem like an anomaly. Alaska Airlines backed that up this week, saying that they saw a sharp uptick in corporate travel in the third quarter of this year. Delta Airlines president Glen Hauenstein also told a conference that “people are back in the office. The country is open for business.”

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Surprisingly, given our still-high WFH rates and the political climate, Canadian corporate travel, including to the United States, is also strong. A recent report from the Canadian Press found that corporate travel was “business as usual,” with over 80 per cent of Canadian corporate travel destined for the U.S.

“Despite the political tension and the economic uncertanties right now between Canada the U.S., the U.S. remains to be an absolutely critical partner with the majority of Canadian businesses,” said SAP Concur Canada’s managing director Brial Veloso. Canada is also the number one travel destination from the U.S., and the fourth most popular destination internationally.

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That’s a somewhat eyebrow-raising finding, given the rhetoric and anxiety around cross-border trips right now. What travel industry folks think is that companies aren’t cutting travel as much as they are doing more to prepare for it; immigration lawyer Beth Nanton said that there’s been a noted increase in companies looking for legal guidance on work trips. But Canadian companies, still attempting to navigate tricky cross-border business, are continuing to prioritize corporate travel to the U.S.

“Many of our clients have head offices, partners or major clients in the U.S.,” said Danielle Riddle, CEO of corporate travel services firm Inspired Travel Group. “So those trips, they’re not going away.” Kieran Delamont