Delta cutting flight between Sacramento, Midwest city as fuel costs reshape routes
Delta Air Lines will be cancelling a direct flight at Sacramento International Airport this weekend, around the same time another major airline cut other flight routes in the U.S. due to higher jet fuel costs.
The Atlanta-based carrier cut a flight between Sacramento and Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Michigan, Delta spokesperson Chelsea Wollerson confirmed Tuesday. The direct route will be suspended from June 1 until March 2027.
Airlines across the industry have been adjusting routes and raising fees as jet fuel prices surged following the start of the war in Iran, though Delta did not directly link fuel costs to its Sacramento flight cut.
Customers who had already booked flights can be rebooked through other Delta hubs. Delta will continue to offer direct flights between Sacramento and Atlanta, Los Angeles, Minneapolis–St. Paul, Seattle and Salt Lake City.
Wollerson characterized the shift, which was announced Saturday, as part of routine adjustments to its network.
On Friday, Delta said it was cutting four other routes between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, Detroit and Boston through September, according to CBS News. The same day, Air Canada said it would cancel six routes, including three that crossed between Canada and the U.S.
The Canadian airline said in a Friday news release that while it routinely checks that routes are profitable, this time the analysis was influenced by jet fuel prices, which the airline said have “doubled since the start of the Iran conflict.” Adjustments are being made, “in response” to those increases. Air Canada’s routes to and from Sacramento International Airport were not affected, a spokesperson confirmed Monday.
Southwest has not made any “large-scale reductions” recently, according to an airline spokesperson. However, investors and leaders will discuss routes at its first-quarter earnings meeting Thursday. American Airlines’ financial meeting is scheduled for the same day. United Airlines’ earnings call is Wednesday and Air Canada’s is April 30.
Delta also has paused or reduced service on several other routes this summer, including flights from New York, Boston, Houston and Las Vegas, as part of broader network adjustments, according to USA Today.
Delta announced changes following its first-quarter earnings report April 8. The airline reported $14.2 billion in quarterly revenue and strong demand but said it was scaling back capacity growth and adjusting routes as fuel costs climbed.
The route cuts were just one part of how airlines were adjusting to rising jet fuel prices. Alaska, American, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest and United have increased baggage fees, many by about $10, according to The New York Times.
