If your 2027 holiday plans involved flying Alaska Airlines nonstop from Sacramento to Puerto Vallarta or San Francisco to Loreto, it's time to look at other options. OAG schedule data reviewed by Simple Flying shows the Seattle-based carrier has quietly pulled 11 international routes from its 2026 timetable, with none returning in 2027.
Ten of the 11 routes are to Mexican leisure spots; the odd one out is Los Angeles to Kelowna, the Okanagan ski and wine town in British Columbia, which Alaska had only operated since winter 2024/25 using SkyWest's 76-seat Embraer 175s. WestJet and United Express both tried that route before and gave up, too.
What's being cut? Las Vegas to Puerto Vallarta (ends February), Kansas City to Cancun and St. Louis to Puerto Vallarta (March), then a batch in April: Las Vegas to Los Cabos, Los Angeles to Cancun, JFK to Puerto Vallarta, Sacramento to Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta, and San Francisco to Loreto. The longest runner, San Francisco to Cancun, ends in December 2026.
Some of these never found an audience. St. Louis to Puerto Vallarta, a Saturday-only route launched in January 2025, carried 2,495 round-trip passengers in its first year at a 63.7% load factor. In 2026 that dropped to 45.7%, with a grim January at 31.8% full. Southwest still serves the route in an even thinner form, with a 37% load factor.
The bigger picture: Alaska is concentrating international flying where it has real strength. Seattle-Tacoma will average 20 daily international departures between November 2026 and August 2027, up 10% year over year, with 18 non-US destinations now served — including new long-haul additions Athens and Paris. Meanwhile, international flights are down from Honolulu, Portland, and other Lower 48 airports, and disappear entirely from Kansas City, Las Vegas, JFK, Sacramento, and St. Louis. Only four airports outside Seattle keep nonstop international service: Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, and San Jose.
For travellers, the practical takeaway is simple. If you live in one of the losing markets, Alaska's own metal won't get you to Cancun or Puerto Vallarta nonstop anymore — compare WestJet, United, American, or Mexico-based carriers like Volaris before booking. From Seattle, though, Alaska's international menu keeps expanding, so connections through SEA remain a solid bet for both Mexico escapes and now-transatlantic trips.
