American Airlines

has removed flights from Los Angeles to Flagstaff between October and December, potentially indicating that it will not return to the route it began in 2024.

Removing next winter season’s flights

Data from the aviation analytics company Cirium’s Diio Mi airline planning tool showed that American Airlines removed flights between Los Angeles International Airport

t (LAX) and Flagstaff Pulliam Airport (FLG), the closest airport to the Grand Canyon National Park, a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site.

The airline was scheduled to resume its regular services, which will end on April 26, per Cirium’s Diio Mi, on October 12. However, the carrier’s latest schedules showed that it had removed the once-weekly departure operated by SkyWest Airlines under the American Eagle

brand between Los Angeles and Flagstaff.

American Eagle CRJ700 landing at DFW shutterstock_2418144691

Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock

American Airlines had scheduled to utilize SkyWest Airlines’

CRJ700 aircraft, which seats 65 passengers, to fly the now-axed route to Flagstaff.

Cirium’s Diio Mi, citing United States Department of Transportation (DOT) data, indicated that during the first month of the route’s operation in October, American Airlines averaged a 20.51% load factor.

By December, which is the latest available data, the average load factor between Los Angeles and Flagstaff improved to a still poor 31.15%.

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Connected to hubs

The removal of the Los Angeles itinerary means that Flaggstaff’s airport will only be connected to the outside world by two regularly scheduled routes, both operated by American Airlines.

Cirium’s Diio Mi data showed that in October, the carrier plans double-daily departures from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport

(DFW) and 35 weekly flights from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport

(PHX) to Flagstaff.

Both flights will be operated by SkyWest Airlines’ CRJ700s,

offering 65 seats per departure to either of American Airlines’ hubs.

1,373 kilometers (853.1 miles) and 192 km (119.3 mi) separate Flagstaff from Dallas/Fort Worth and Phoenix Sky Harbor, respectively.

American Eagle CRJ700 departing PHX shutterstock_1864652653

Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock

Throughout the 2020s, United Airlines

was the only other airline that served Flagstaff, offering up to daily flights to Denver International Airport

(DEN).

The flights, also operated by SkyWest Airlines’ CRJ700s, ended in October 2022. In its passenger demand study for the year ending March 31, 2023, the airport stated that while load factors were “strong,” above 83%, “United continues to struggle with aircraft and crew availability for its regional partners, and that is likely to continue through 2024.”

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Looking for Federal funds

As such, in August 2024, the City of Flagstaff requested funds under the Small Community Air Service Development Program (SCASDP), saying that United Airlines’ exit “has generated significant disappointment among residents and businesses in Flagstaff and Denver.”

“Despite consistently high load factors for the Denver flight, United Airlines decided to discontinue several regional markets due to the ongoing pilot shortage and the need to prioritize service to larger markets.”

Thus, the city sought funds from the program to attract a second airline “through a revenue guarantee and marketing support” to establish flights to eastern or northeastern markets through Denver.

SkyWest Airlines CRJ700 landing at PHX shutterstock_2566656041

Photo: Robin Guess | Shutterstock

“The most recent passenger demand analysis, with data collected through March 2023, identified Denver as the top destination.”

However, when the DOT served its order granting awards under the SCASDP in October, it did not grant funds to Flagstaff. Safford for services at Safford Regional Airport (SAD) was the only community that received them in Arizona.

On December 10, 2024, Safford announced that it has partnered with Grand Canyon Airlines, a Part 135 airline, to start flights to Phoenix Sky Harbor on January 6.

Other than Grand Canyon Airlines, no other carrier has planned any flights from/to Safford in 2025, according to Cirium’s Diio Mi.

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