American Airlines to end service to Region of Waterloo International Airport

American Airlines will end its service between theRegion of Waterloo International Airport and Chicago's O'Hare International Airport this fall.

Officials at theRegion of Waterloo International Airport said flights will endOctober 5. The airport said the low Canadian dollar was behind the decision.

"Despite consistent passenger loads, unfortunately American has made a business decision to suspend the route," saidChris Wood, general manager of the Region of Waterloo International Airport.

American Airlines launched its twice-daily service from the region to Chicago in June2012.

'Difficult decision'

In a statement,American Airlines officials said the decision to end flights was not taken lightly.

"We continually evaluate American's overall network to ensure we are maximizing our fleet and profitability while matching customer demand. As part of that ongoing process, we have made the difficult decision to end service between the Region of Waterloo and Chicago. We will continue to offer customers access to the American Airlines and oneworld global network via Toronto," the statement said.

The local airport joins a long list of Canadian airports that have seen U.S.-based airlines cut back on flights north of the border.

"We want to thank everyone who flew from home and supported American Airlines and want to assure the community we are trying to find a replacement service for our growing community," Wood said.

Reaction from passengers

Several people expressed disappointment about the news on the CBC KW Facebook page.