American Airlines to Suspend Six Domestic Routes in Late 2026 Citing High Fuel Costs

American Airlines will suspend six domestic routes between August and October 2026, including four nonstop flights from Los Angeles International Airport. The suspended routes are LAX-Cleveland, LAX-Columbus, LAX-Pittsburgh, LAX-Washington Dulles, Charlotte-Ontario, and Charlotte-Sacramento. The LAX-Washington Dulles route alone carried nearly 650,000 local passengers last year.

4 million round-trip passengers in 2025, according to Department of Transportation data reviewed by Simple Flying. American Airlines stated in its quarterly financial statement on April 23 2026 that its business is very dependent on the price and availability of aircraft fuel.

The statement added that continued periods of high volatility in fuel costs, increased fuel prices or significant disruptions in the supply of aircraft fuel could have a significant negative impact on consumer demand, operating results and liquidity.

The carrier expects surging fuel costs to add $4 to $5 billion to expenses this year, Reuters reported. Jet fuel prices at LAX have traded up to 50% higher than in other domestic markets. Norse Atlantic Airways also scrapped all flights from LAX for the upcoming summer season due to rising jet fuel costs linked to the ongoing conflict involving Iran.