United Airlines is ending services to two US cities this fall, when Texarkana, Arkansas and Flagstaff, Arizona will be cut from the carrier’s network. Flights connecting Houston (IAH) and Texarkana (TXK) will end on September 6th, and services between Denver (DEN) and Flagstaff (FLG) will cease on October 30th.

The two routes are the only flights that United Airlines currently operates from Texarkana and Flagstaff, so Tuesday’s announcement will mean the airline’s withdrawal from both airports. This leaves American Airlines as the only airline with regular scheduled services from each airport (through its regional subsidiary American Eagle).

CommutAir / United Express E145
United Airlines flies between Texarkana and Houston using an Embraer-145 aircraft belonging to its regional subsidiary CommutAir. Photo: Adam Moreira via Wikimedia Commons

A spokesperson from United Airlines confirmed the announcement, stating,

“We’ve made the difficult decision to suspend service to two cities this fall — Flagstaff and Texarkana — and have already started working with customers on alternate plans.”

The carrier’s service between Texarkana and Houston began just five months ago, in February 2022, and was operated daily with a 50-seat Embraer-145 belonging to regional subsidiary CommutAir. United Airlines has cited a lack of demand as the reason for the route suspension.

Speaking about United Airlines’ departure, Texarkana Airport executive director, Paul Mehrlich, said,

"It's very unfortunate to see United leave TXK. However, we will continue to strengthen our partnership with American Airlines and aggressively look for ways to create opportunities to add more destinations and possible carriers. We realize this was a business decision, and we appreciate United's willingness to give us a chance during a difficult time."

United Express Embraer 175 landing on runway 24R at LAX
United Airlines removed nine regional airports from its route network earlier this year. Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying

Ongoing regional cuts around the US

This is not, however, the first time United Airlines has made a wave of cuts to its regional network. In January 2022, the carrier ended services at nine regional airports, including Columbia, Missouri (COU), and Monroe, Louisiana (MLU).

Like many carriers, United Airlines has been struggling with staff shortages in recent months, and regional networks tend to be taking the brunt of the impact. Just last month American Airlines cut three regional services, citing a lack of pilots as the cause.

Now that United Airlines has reached a pay agreement with its pilots, many within the airline will be hoping to see an uptick in recruitment and retention. If not, we may well see more routes facing the axe in the future.

Mesa in American Eagle
Photo: Mesa Airlines

San Diego will also see cuts

United Airlines also announced that it will cease to operate flights between Los Angeles (LAX) and San Diego (SAN), with services coming to an end on October 30th. The carrier has flown this route for over 40 years, and it was operated primarily to provide feeder traffic to the airline’s domestic and international hub at Los Angeles International Airport.

Passengers looking to travel across the Pacific from San Diego with United Airlines will now need to connect through San Francisco (SFO) or Houston (IAH). For services to Europe, they will need to connect at one of the airline’s eastern hubs, such as Newark (EWR) or Chicago O’Hare (ORD).

What do you think of United Airlines’ decision to end services from both Texarkana and Flagstaff? Have you been affected? Share your thoughts by commenting below.

Discover more aviation news here.