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Alaska Airlines has removed four planned US-Mexico routes from its future schedule. As reported by Irishon Aviation on social media, the affected routes involve flights from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Harry Reid International Airport (LAS), and San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Cancun International Airport (CUN), Licenciado Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport (PVR), Los Cabos International Airport (SJD), and Loreto International Airport (LTO).
The canceled services had been scheduled to operate between late 2026 and spring 2027. The changes include both Alaska-operated Boeing 737 flights and Embraer E175 regional jet services operated by SkyWest Airlines under the Alaska brand. Airlines regularly revise schedules before routes begin operating, with adjustments sometimes made months before launch dates.
Alaska Airlines Mexico Routes: Withdrawn Markets
The four affected destinations vary considerably in passenger scale and tourism activity. Cancun is Mexico’s largest international leisure gateway and the country’s second-busiest airport overall. In recent years, Cancun International Airport has handled more than 30 million passengers annually.
Puerto Vallarta and Los Cabos also rank among Mexico’s leading resort markets. Los Cabos International Airport has processed more than seven million annual passengers in recent years, while Puerto Vallarta International Airport has handled just under seven million travelers annually. Both destinations rely heavily on international tourism, particularly visitors from the United States and Canada, with US travelers representing a major portion of inbound demand.
Loreto International Airport operates on a much smaller scale than the other three destinations, typically handling around 180,000 passengers. Three of the canceled routes had been planned for the winter travel season between November and April, a period that traditionally coincides with increased travel demand to Mexico’s beach destinations as travelers from colder regions seek warmer weather.
Simple Flying contacted Alaska for a comment, but a representative wasn’t immediately available to respond.
The canceled routes involved both mainline and regional aircraft. Los Angeles–Cancun and San Francisco–Loreto had been scheduled with 737s, which form Alaska Airlines’ primary narrowbody fleet and are used across domestic and international services.
Flights from Las Vegas to Puerto Vallarta and San José del Cabo were scheduled with E175 aircraft operated by SkyWest Airlines. The E175 is commonly used on lower-capacity routes and allows airlines to serve destinations that may not require larger aircraft.
SkyWest operates regional services for multiple US carriers through partnership agreements. Under Alaska’s regional network structure, these flights carry Alaska branding while providing connections into the airline’s broader route system.
Other aircraft, such as the Airbus A220 and the Embraer E195-E2, have also emerged as potential candidates.
The Changes Affect Multiple West Coast Gateways
The routes originate from three key gateways in Alaska Airlines’ West Coast network. The carrier is most heavily concentrated at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), which serves as its primary hub and connecting bank for domestic traffic. Los Angeles and San Francisco function as major distribution points for both coast-to-coast connections and international leisure demand, while Las Vegas plays a more targeted role focused on seasonal vacation flows.
Within this structure, Alaska’s West Coast strategy is shaped by balancing hub connectivity with point-to-point leisure flying. Larger airports like Los Angeles and San Francisco support a mix of connecting and origin-and-destination traffic, while smaller seasonal markets from cities like Las Vegas are typically used to test or supplement leisure demand during peak travel periods.
The planned Mexico services followed this pattern, pairing high-frequency flying from Los Angeles with Cancun, limited weekly service from San Francisco to Loreto, and a combination of daily and weekly flights from Las Vegas to San José del Cabo and Puerto Vallarta. In total, the four routes would have added 16 weekly departures, extending Alaska’s seasonal leisure footprint across multiple West Coast gateways.
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