Delta Air Lines cancels flights permanently starting in January

Delta Air Lines cancels flights permanently starting in January

Christy Rakoczy

Sun, November 30, 2025 at 2:33 PM EST

3 min read

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In 2024, Delta Air Lines served more than 200 million customers, according to Delta Air Lines’ Corporate Stats and Facts. The airline’s largest hub is in Atlanta, but Delta allows passengers to fly to over 1,000 destinations in more than 60 countries.

Soon, however, some travelers will find that the flights they once relied on are no longer offered. This is because Delta Air Lines is canceling some flights permanently.

The Delta cancellations will begin taking effect in January 2026.

Here’s what travelers need to know about the upcoming Delta flights that will no longer operate.

<em>Delta Air Lines passengers may find their flight is canceled.</em>Shutterstock — *Delta Air Lines passengers may find their flight is canceled.*Shutterstock

Delta Air Lines will cancel multiple flights beginning in January

Simple Flying reported on the upcoming Delta Air Lines flight cancellations. The flights are part of the airline’s domestic network and include:

Atlanta to Santa Barbara: This flight spans 1,757 nautical miles, and Delta has flown the route for well over a year.
Salt Lake City to Fairbanks: This seasonal flight will not be resuming.

According to Simple Flying, Delta had originally planned to fly the Atlanta to Santa Barbara flight throughout all of 2026. However, this changed based on a mid-November update to Cirium Diio and OAG.

When the Delta Air Lines flight cancellations will take effect

Delta is planning to discontinue the Atlanta to Santa Barbara flight beginning in January.

The last flight from Atlanta to Santa Barbara will run on January 19, 2026.
The last returning flight from Santa Barbara to Atlanta will happen the following day on January 20, 2026.

This flight has already been removed from the airline's booking platforms, so it is no longer possible to book it.

The Salt Lake City to Fairbanks route, on the other hand, was scheduled to resume in June of 2026, but will not be returning. This flight has always been seasonal, unlike the year-round Santa Barbara flight.

Why Delta Air Lines is canceling flights

Delta typically cancels flights for strategic reasons, based on hubs it wants to prioritize or based on market demand.

In this case, the Santa Barbara to Atlanta flight was likely canceled due to lack of demand, as between July 2023 and June 2024, the flight carried just 11,800 round-trip passengers, according to Simple Flying.

Edhat Santa Barbara also indicated that the Salt Lake City to Fairbanks route ended due to performance issues, with not enough people choosing to fly it.

Delta flight cancellations will mean major changes for passengers

The cancellation of these flights will have a big impact on travelers, especially in the Santa Barbara area, as Edhat reported that the Delta flight was Santa Barbara airport's longest route.

Story Continues

Around 1.2 million passengers flew from Santa Barbara Airport in 2022, and the airport was described as “leading California’s post-pandemic commercial service recovery.”

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Some affected passengers have already expressed their unhappiness about the change, including posters in a Reddit thread addressing the issue.

“I just read that the Atlanta to Santa Barbara flight was being discontinued after January. Does anyone know why? It was a great route to get there from the East Coast and always seemed full,” one Reddit user wrote. The frustrated Redditor said, “It was great. For us from non-hub airports, one connection on a 220. Now, if you stay on Delta, it’s 12 hours through SLC.”

Unfortunately, customers dissatisfied with the change will need to look elsewhere to find an airline that can get them to their chosen destination.

This story was originally published by TheStreet on Nov 30, 2025, where it first appeared in the Travel section. Add TheStreet as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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