Alaska Airlines slashes SFO routes in exchange for SoCal hub

"But those additions will come at the expense of several routes the airline is cutting, including 25% at San Francisco International Airport and others at San Jose Mineta International Airport. "These adjustments are firmly rooted in the need to be disciplined with our aircraft in 2026, as fewer new aircraft enter our fleet," an Alaska spokesperson told the Points Guy in a statement. "Although these decisions are difficult, SFO and LAX remain key markets for us.""

"According to Simple Flying, the airline will axe flights from SFO to Austin, Texas; Boston; Burbank; Newark, New Jersey; and Orlando, Florida. It's also reportedly ending San Jose flights to Los Angeles, Los Cabos, Mexico, and Guadalajara, Mexico. Alaska did not respond to a request to confirm the departing routes. In 2024, Alaska Airlines operated 10.4% of SFO's flights, making it the second-largest airline at the airport, behind United Airlines, which accounted for 46.8% of flights."

""Alaska Airlines is looking to expand its hub operations out of Portland and San Diego. Since new aircraft are hard to acquire these days, the trade-off to Alaska's expansion at Portland and San Diego is a strategic reduction in routes from SFO," Kerry Tan, an economics professor at Loyola University Maryland, told SFGATE in an email. "Several of the new routes from Portland and San Diego are transcontinental so it's no surprise that Alaska is cutting several medium-haul to long-haul domestic routes from SFO.""

Alaska Airlines will introduce new flights from San Diego and Portland beginning in 2026 and increase nonstop service between the West Coast and Hawaii. The carrier is reducing service at Bay Area airports, cutting roughly 25% of flights at San Francisco International Airport and ending several San Jose routes. Specific SFO routes slated for removal include Austin, Boston, Burbank, Newark and Orlando, while San Jose routes to Los Angeles, Los Cabos and Guadalajara are reportedly ending. The adjustments are being driven by limited new aircraft deliveries in 2026 and a strategic shift toward expanding hubs at Portland and San Diego.

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