Alaska Airlines is pulling out of five seasonal Mexico routes this winter, redirecting that capacity toward Hawaii as the carrier doubles down on the market advantage it gained from its 2024 merger with Hawaiian Airlines.
The discontinued routes span some of Alaska’s busiest leisure gateways — Las Vegas to Puerto Vallarta and Los Cabos, LAX to Cancun, and both SFO to Cancun and SFO to Loreto. All were seasonal routes scheduled to resume this fall or winter. None are coming back.
The trade-off is straightforward. Alaska is the largest carrier from the continental U.S. to Hawaii, a position cemented by the Hawaiian Airlines merger, and it’s leaning into that strength. Fourth-quarter Hawaii seats from the mainland are increasing 6% year-over-year, with Lihue seeing a 28% jump and all four major Hawaiian airports — Honolulu, Maui, Kona, and Lihue — posting gains. Mexico seats, meanwhile, are dropping 30% in the same period.
“To support increased demand to Hawaii during holiday periods, we are adding flights across California cities to four Hawaiian Islands,” an Alaska spokesperson said. “To enable this investment, we have exited some underperforming seasonal routes to Mexican destinations.”
Travelers still have options on the dropped corridors. American, Delta, and United all fly LAX-Cancun. Southwest covers Las Vegas to Puerto Vallarta and Los Cabos. United flies SFO-Cancun.
Why It Matters: If you were counting on Alaska for a Mexico trip this winter from Las Vegas or the Bay Area, those flights are gone — time to check the alternatives. And if Hawaii is on your radar for the holidays, Alaska’s expanded schedule means more options and likely more competitive fares.
Source: Alaska Airlines Cuts 5 Mexico Routes to Boost Hawaii
