Delta Air Lines Trims Summer Schedule Amid High Fuel Prices

Delta Air Lines is cutting some flights this summer as airlines adjust to quickly shifting economics.

The Atlanta-based airline says the decision is based on a number of operational factors and did not specify fuel, but many airlines have been working to boost revenue and trim expenses amid surging fuel prices since the start of the war in Iran.

“Delta routinely adjusts its network as part of its normal planning process,” the airline said in a statement to USA TODAY. “As part of our summer planning, we’ve made select adjustments across a small number of routes. Delta evaluates a range of factors when making these decisions and continues to offer extensive service for customers. We will directly contact any impacted customers with alternate options.”

Which Routes Are Affected

The airline has suspended some flights and paused upcoming service on select routes. These are the planned adjustments:

• Boston (BOS) to Nassau, Bahamas (NAS): Saturday-only service operates through July 11. The route will not operate from July 18 through Sept. 5. Service is scheduled to resume in December.
• Detroit (DTW) to Northwest Florida Beaches (ECP): Weekend service is shifting to Summer 2027.
• Detroit (DTW) to Sacramento (SMF): Paused beginning June 1; returns in March 2027.
• JFK to Houston Intercontinental (IAH): Paused beginning June 7; resumes Sept. 8.
• JFK to Memphis (MEM): Paused beginning June 7; resumes Sept. 8.
• JFK to St. Louis (STL): Paused beginning June 7; resumes Sept. 8.
• Raleigh-Durham (RDU) to Las Vegas (LAS): Paused beginning June 2; resumes Sept. 8.

See Also:

8 Genius Moves to Make When the Price of Everything Is Going Up

Delta Isn’t Alone

In a March memo, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said the airline would pursue a strategy of “tactically pruning flying that’s temporarily unprofitable in the face of high oil prices,” focusing on less-popular flying times like overnight and on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. The memo said those cuts would extend through at least the second and third quarters of 2026.

American Airlines is expected to address fuel costs during its first-quarter earnings call on April 23.

Frontier Airlines, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines and Spirit Airlines did not immediately respond to questions about potential schedule adjustments.

A Global Jet Fuel Crisis

Airlines in some international markets — which rely more on fuel imports from the Middle East than the U.S. does — are also trimming flights and warning of the possibility of more acute fuel shortages, not just higher prices, this summer.

“We are in a global jet fuel shortage right now,” Giacomo Santangelo, a senior lecturer of economics at Fordham University, told USA TODAY. “The last time we went through this was the 1970s.”

Reporting by Zach Wichter and Eve Chen, USA TODAY. Distributed via USA TODAY Network/Reuters Connect.