American Airlines cuts direct flights from Halifax to Philadelphia

American Airlines is ending its twice-daily flights to the United States out of Halifax in the new year.

The airline pulled out because of low demand for the flights, company spokeswoman LaKesha Brown said by email to CBC News Thursday.

The airline looks at supply and demand for all its routes. Cancelling routes, while "never easy," allows the business to expand into new markets and add new flights elsewhere, she said.

'We want to have options'

American Airlines declined to speak over the phone to CBC News about the cancellation.

The low Canadian dollar and a commercial pilot shortage in the U.S. were also factors in the cancellation, Halifax International Airport Authority spokeswoman Ashley Gallant said Thursday.

"We're disappointed any time we lose this service," she said. "We want to have options for our passengers."

American Airlines launched its Philadelphia-Halifax route in 1995, Gallant said. It was the airline's only flight servicing Nova Scotia, and will end as of January 8, 2017.

In the last year, American Airlines has also cancelled its international flights to the U.S. from Edmonton and Waterloo, Ont. In both situations, the airline cited the low Canadian dollar as the cause.

'Use it or lose it'

The airport authority could not say how many passengers the Philadelphia-Halifax flights were carrying on average, but Gallant said it could have used more.

"It's sort of the 'use it or lose it' situation," Gallant said. "If there's a non-stop flight to the U.S. from Halifax, try to use that whenever possible."

Delta Airlines is also ending its summer season daily flights from Halifax to New York's JFK Airport as of Oct. 1, she said.

"If all the carriers through the U.S. were selling lots of seats on their flights, we'd be in pretty good shape to keep them around," Gallant said.

Fewer direct U.S. flights

United Airlines is now the only American airline offering direct flights to the U.S. year-round. It operates several daily flights from Halifax to Newark.

Air Canada and WestJet also offer direct daily flights to Boston year-round, and WestJet offers a weekly direct flight to Orlando.

The airport authority is continuing to try to bring in new airlines, Gallant said.