Alaska Airlines Cuts Seven Nonstop Routes From San Francisco

Alaska Airlines has walked away from more than seven nonstop routes out of San Francisco International Airport this year, extending a pullback that began with five route cuts in 2025. The latest reductions touch cities in Texas, Arizona, Utah, New Jersey and Mexico, and reflect what the airline describes as a consolidation of flying across its West Coast hubs, according to Simple Flying.

The scale of the retreat shows up in the schedule data. Weekly departures from SFO fell to 405 this year, down 13% from 465 a year earlier, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. Alaska remains one of the dominant carriers on the West Coast, with bases in Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco, but the Bay Area airport has absorbed an outsized share of the cutbacks.

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Austin and Boston went first

Alaska ended nonstop flights from San Francisco to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and Boston Logan International Airport in January 2026. The San Francisco Chronicle reported the airline shifted those aircraft to routes it considers more profitable, citing aircraft availability and competitive pressure as factors. Delta, Southwest and United already fly nonstop between San Francisco and Austin; Delta, JetBlue and United cover the Boston route, giving travelers plenty of nonstop options despite Alaska's exit.

Two months later, Alaska pulled three more routes. Service to Hollywood Burbank Airport, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and Salt Lake City International Airport ended in March 2026. Southwest and United already fly nonstop to Burbank. Phoenix keeps nonstop service from American, Frontier, Southwest and United. Salt Lake City retains nonstop flights on Delta and Frontier.

A pattern of retrenchment at SFO

None of the five destinations above was left without nonstop service — every one still has at least two other carriers flying there directly from San Francisco. That pattern suggests Alaska is ceding ground on routes where it faces heavy competition rather than abandoning markets travelers can't otherwise reach. The airline has not detailed where the freed-up aircraft are going, though the Chronicle's reporting points to a broader reallocation toward routes Alaska judges more profitable.

The double-digit drop in weekly departures from SFO marks one of the more pronounced hub reductions Alaska has made on the West Coast in recent years. Travelers with existing bookings on the discontinued routes should already have been rebooked or refunded by Alaska; those planning future trips to Austin, Boston, Burbank, Phoenix or Salt Lake City from the Bay Area will need to check competing carriers for nonstop options.