About 44,000 flights take off daily, and more than three million people travel on an airplane every day, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
While air travel has become affordable and accessible, consumers continue to face challenges when traveling. These include delayed flights and even the cancellation of flights they were counting on taking.
Recently, one major airline that runs around 1,500 daily flights to 12 different countries made major adjustments to its lineup.
Here’s which airline made the changes, along with details on which routes were canceled for next year.
Image source: Getty Images
This major airline just canceled dozens of key flights
Alaska Airlines revealed a major shakeup of its lineup, with the specific number of canceled flights still being determined.
According to a post on X (formerly Twitter) by Ishrion Aviation, which covers developments on airline flight routes, Alaska Airlines has decided to discontinue nine routes beginning in 2026.
Related: American Airlines cancels flight permanently, offers refunds
However, Simple Flying uncovered even more route cancellations. “The latest schedule update shows that Alaska Airlines has axed 16 routes,” the article read. “In the past few days, an article suggested 12 were removed, but additional markets have since been found.”
These Alaska Airlines flights will be canceled
According to Simple Flying, the flight cancellations will be phased in, with routes disappearing at different times.
In January of 2026, routes that will end include:
- Los Angeles-Las Vegas (discontinued after January 11)
- Los Angeles-Reno (discontinued after January 6)
- Los Angeles-San José (discontinued after January 6)
- San Francisco-Austin (discontinued after January 6)
- San Francisco-Boston (discontinued after January 6)
In March, these additional routes will be phased out:
- San Diego-Atlanta (discontinued after March 17)
- San Francisco-Burbank (discontinued after March 17)
- San Francisco-Phoenix (discontinued after March 17)
- San Francisco-Salt Lake City (discontinued after March 17)
The flights ending in May include:
- Los Angeles-Cancun (discontinued after May 12)
- San José-Guadalajara (discontinued after May 9)
- San José-Los Cabos (discontinued after May 12)
- San José-Puerto Vallarta (discontinued after May 9)
- San Francisco-Orlando (discontinued after May 12)
And finally, the San Francisco-Newark flight will end on June 9, and the Anchorage-Detroit flight, last flown in September, will officially not return.
Why is Alaska Airlines canceling so many flights?
Many of the flights being cut are ones that Alaska Airlines inherited from Virgin Airlines. Alaska Airlines acquired Virgin America in April of 2016 and has continued to operate many of its routes.
However, some of those routes are now coming to an end.
Simply Flying also indicates that Alaska Airlines is trying to move away from more challenging markets where it’s not doing as well. Instead, it is focusing on growth markets where the airline feels it has the most potential. This includes Portland and San Diego.
Alaska Airlines speaks out on cancellations
A spokesperson from Alaska Airlines addressed the route cancellations, stating that expansion elsewhere had made these cuts necessary.
“As we add 13 new routes to our network next spring, we’ll be adjusting some of our flying — reducing mainline service in San Francisco and regional flying in Los Angeles — to make room for this growth,” an airline spokesperson told the San Francisco Chronicle.
“These changes are grounded in the need to stay disciplined with our limited aircraft deliveries in 2026. With fewer new aircraft joining our fleet in the near term, we have to make some challenging tradeoffs,” the spokesperson added.
While this makes good business sense, it may come as a disappointment to those who enjoyed flying Alaska Air and who will now have far fewer flight options.
Related: Delta Air Lines permanently cancels daily flights starting in November
