Airlines canceling flight routes has become a top trend this summer and into the fall season.
Travel demand has been volatile in recent years. Between Covid, the economic chaos caused by surging inflation, and the uncertainty surrounding tariffs, people just don’t want to travel as much.
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And airlines, unsurprisingly, don’t want to continue flying unprofitable flights.
Unfortunately, when airlines cancel flights, this can have a major impact on flyers. Travelers who are left with fewer options may be stuck flying at inconvenient times and not be able to get to their destinations on their desired schedule.
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This will soon be the case for many people who fly Southwest Airlines, as the airline carrier has announced it is going to be cutting multiple flights.
First Alert 4 reported on the story, including the fact that as many as 860,000 annual passengers could be adversely impacted by Southwest’s decision to move forward with canceling routes.
So, which Southwest Airlines plans are getting canceled, and which travelers will be affected by the shift in operations that leads to far fewer flights going out?
Here’s what you need to know.
Image source: Getty Images
Southwest Airlines cancels hundreds of flights in this major metro area
According to First 4 Alert, Southwest Airlines will cut multiple direct flights from Lambert Airport, which is the international airport in St. Louis. The flights to be axed include ones traveling to:
- Little Rock
- Tulsa
- Charlotte
- Des Moines
- Oklahoma City
- Wichita
After the cancellation of these flights, Lambert will have a total of 71 nonstop markets left serving the airport. Southwest Airlines operates 60 of those remaining markets.
This means that if Southwest Airlines continues to make cuts, many travelers to the area could face a lot of uncertainty and experience significant new challenges getting to their destinations.
Southwest Airlines’ cancellations affect 860,000 travelers
These flights to be canceled are used by a huge number of passengers, so many will be inconvenienced by the change.
In fact, First Four analyzed data from the Department of Transportation and found that an estimated 860,000 travelers fly to and from Lambert Airport to the destinations that are being affected.
This includes 142,530 passengers from Little Rock; 186,155 from Des Moines; 80,913 from Charlotte; 145,062 from Tulsa; 148,935 from Wichita; and 165,128 from Oklahoma City.
Related: JetBlue cancels all flights to major US airport, offers customer refunds
Passengers are upset about Southwest Airlines’ flight cancellations
Passengers, unsurprisingly, are upset about the fact that the airline will drop these flights.
“How is that going to make anything better?” St. Louis resident Beth Huffman said. “To me, they’re going to lose business.”
“If you’re cutting stuff down, you’re cutting employment, you’re cutting travel — you’re cutting more and more. Grow it, make it bigger,” Southwest passenger Curtis Howard told First Alert 4.
Lambert officials also expressed disappointment in so many flights being canceled, although they did express overall appreciation for the “strong partnership” that they have with Southwest Airlines.
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Southwest Airlines also commented to First Alert 4, telling the news organization, “Through our March 2026 schedule that was released today, we’ll offer up to 110 departures at St. Louis Lambert International Airport, providing unmatched point-to-point service for local Customers and strong north-south connectivity to the vast Southwest network. We are fully committed to the Gateway City and look forward to serving our loyal Customers there for years to come.”
Still, those who will no longer have a direct flight via Southwest to their chosen destination may be left with few choices for getting where they need to go.
(The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a trip.)
Make a free appointment with TheStreet’s Travel Agent Partner, Postcard Travel, or email Amy Post at amypost@postcardtravelplanning.com or call or text her at 386-383-2472.
