Latest Airlines To Cut US Flights, Raise Bag Prices Amid Rising Fuel Costs

Several airlines have cut flight routes in the United States and increased baggage fees following soaring fuel costs amid the ongoing war in Iran.

Delta Air Lines, Air Canada, Norse Atlantic Airways, and Edelweiss Air, a sister carrier of SWISS (Swiss International Air Lines), are among the latest to announce flight cuts.

Newsweek has contacted Delta, Air Canada, Norse Atlantic Airways, and Edelweiss Air for comment via email.

Why It Matters

Tensions escalated on Sunday as U.S. forces intercepted and took custody of an Iranian‑flagged cargo ship after it attempted to breach a U.S. naval blockade in the Gulf of Oman. The recent incident could trigger further oil price hikes and see airlines take additional measures to combat costs.

What To Know

CBS reported on Monday that Delta has temporarily cut routes from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) in Michigan to Panama City and Sacramento.

Delta is also reducing services from John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) in New York City, DTW and Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) through September as part of its “normal planning process,” the airline told CBS News. The decision to reduce services was made based on a “variety of factors,” including operating costs and broader operational considerations when making schedule updates, the airline told CBS.

The impacted routes include flights from JFK to Memphis (from June 7 to September 7), from DTW to Reykjavik in Iceland (from May 7 to July 6) and from BOS to Nassau in the Bahamas (from July 18 to September 5).

Air Canada, Canada’s flagship carrier, said on Friday that it will temporarily suspend all flights to JFK, New York City's busiest airport. Flights from Toronto and Montreal to JFK will end June 1 and resume October 25. Service to the New York area's other major airports, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty, will continue.

"As jet fuel prices have doubled since the start of the Iran conflict and some lower‑profitability routes and flights are no longer economic, we are making schedule adjustments accordingly," noted a spokesperson for Air Canada.

Norse Atlantic Airways, the Norwegian carrier known for its low-cost transatlantic flights, has reportedly canceled some flight routes to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) due to the "extraordinary surge in oil prices."

According to screenshots of notifications sent by the airline to passengers whose flights were cancelled, which were shared on Threads by users @melissammonroe and @adrienneqw, the airline said: "The disruption is caused by extraordinary surge in oil prices followed by unpredictable fuel supply shortage constraints across the aviation industry outside our control. As a result, we are unable to operate this route in a responsible and sustainable manner."

Switzerland’s Edelweiss Air has also reportedly canceled its direct route from Seattle in Washington state to Zurich in Switzerland. The airline said it will also end its service to Denver in Colorado, as well as reduce the frequency of its service to Las Vegas, Nevada, reported Seattle's KING-TV.

Several major U.S. airlines have raised their baggage fees in recent days amid rising jet fuel prices, including most recently American Airlines, Delta, Southwest Airlines and Alaska Airlines, joining JetBlue and United, who have previously announced their bag fee hikes.

What People Are Saying

Fatih Birol, the executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), told the Associated Press on Thursday: "Some countries may be richer than the others. Some countries may have more energy than the others, but no country, no country is immune to this crisis," noting that "in Europe, we have maybe six weeks or so (of) jet fuel left," he said. "If we are not able to open the Strait of Hormuz."

Vicki Morwitz, a professor at Columbia University's Graduate School of Business, told USA Today: "The reason we're seeing this increase in the baggage fees as opposed to tickets is because we do compare on the tickets … that's the big amount, that's what you see when you're shopping, that's what's salient."

What Happens Next

The two-week ceasefire announced on April 7 is due to end on Tuesday. It is unknown when or if airline operations will stabilize amid the ongoing war.

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This story was originally published April 20, 2026 at 9:16 AM.