Major US Airlines Are Slashing Flights, Leaving Travelers With Fewer Options

Looking for the best flight can be time-consuming. Do you go with Samantha Brown's advice and book the morning flight? Do you book the red-eye? What is the best day to fly? However, you may already — or soon will — have fewer options to consider, as major U.S. carriers have cut or are planning to cut flights, largely based on increased fuel costs, per TravelPulse.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) tracks jet fuel prices, and as of the second week of September, it has gone up over 100% from last year at the same time. The increase can be tied to the Iran war, which started in February 2026. As Mark Zandi, Moody's Analytics' chief economist, said in an interview with FOX Business, "If you fly in an airplane, you can pay more because you have to pay for the cost of that fuel."

At Morgan Stanley's annual investor conference in September 2026, airline executives at United, American Airlines, and Southwest all confirmed they're adjusting flight availability based on high fuel costs. Michael Leskinen, the CFO at United Airlines, said at the conference: "As you look into the fourth quarter, there'll be some flights in December that we won't fly that we thought we were going to fly. If fuel remains high, we'll make some adjustments into the first quarter and beyond into 2027." He didn't give details as to which flights or routes will be cut, or if they have already been removed as an option for travelers to book. This is similar to the stance that United took in March. At that time, United's CEO Scott Kirby released a memo about the response to the war in Iran: "We are canceling about 3 points of flying in off peak periods (think redeyes, Tues/Wed/Sat flying) during Q2 and Q3."

Southwest CFO Tom Doxey noted at the Morgan Stanley conference that the airline had already reduced planned growth, and there could be reductions in scheduling, saying, "If fuel is higher for longer, I think it's a natural response to trim some of that capacity off." That's the same sentiment that American Airlines CEO Robert Isom expressed.

We don't have specific details as to some of the cuts that could be coming from U.S. airlines, and fuel costs aren't necessarily always given as the reason for cuts. However, we have already seen reductions to flight schedules in this past year from major U.S. carriers, due to the Iran war. Delta paused some domestic flights over the summer of 2026, including from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport to Memphis International Airport and Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport. American Airlines also temporarily reduced flights during the summer from Los Angeles to Cleveland, Columbus, Pittsburgh, and Washington Dulles, as well as from North Carolina's Charlotte Douglas International Airport to Ontario and Sacramento. The rise in fuel prices was specifically noted as the reason for these cuts by American.

It's not just that there are fewer flight options, but the ones that are available come at a higher cost. Even if you have mastered the hacks to booking cheap flights, you may have noticed an increase in flight prices this year — airfares were up over 26% in June 2026 compared to June 2025, according to CNBC. The cost of fuel is also one reason that some airlines have cited for increased costs for checked bags in 2026.