American Airlines Drops Flights to 3 Destinations

American Airlines has pulled out of three destinations this year, cutting flights in California, Mexico and Qatar and leaving travelers with fewer nonstop options.

According to Fox News, the airline ended service to Santa Maria, California; Tijuana, Mexico; and Doha, Qatar, according to aviation outlet Simple Flying, which cited data from aviation analytics company Cirium.

The changes mean Santa Maria no longer has service from a major U.S. legacy carrier. Tijuana also lost its only nonstop service to a U.S. airline after American ended its Phoenix route.

At Santa Maria's airport, Allegiant Air is now the only commercial carrier, with service to Las Vegas, according to Simple Flying.

American operated the Santa Maria flights under its American Eagle brand through a partnership with SkyWest Airlines. The service ended May 7 after the route failed to meet the airline's performance expectations.

"Unfortunately, flights to SMX did not meet performance expectations, and SkyWest informed American it will discontinue service as of May 7," an American Airlines spokesperson told local outlet KEYT earlier this year.

American also permanently ended its Philadelphia-to-Doha service in June. The airline had previously suspended the route due to regional hostilities and later decided not to resume it.

"As part of an optimization of our network and fleet, American has made the difficult decision to discontinue service to Doha, Qatar (DOH)," spokesperson Bri Harper told The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Qatar Airways has since taken over the Philadelphia-to-Doha route, restoring nonstop service between the two cities.

American's final route cut came in August, when the airline discontinued its service between Phoenix and Tijuana. The company said the route had not met its performance expectations.

American Airlines routinely evaluates its network to determine how aircraft should be deployed, a spokesperson told AirlineGeeks.

Steven Arroyo, an aviation safety expert and retired United Airlines captain based in Florida, said route cancellations are a normal part of the airline industry.

"If airlines are consistently not making money on a route, they're going to pull out, and it happens all the time," Arroyo told Fox News Digital. "It's part of the economic reality of running an airline efficiently."

Arroyo advised travelers to check their planned routes before booking and monitor airlines for potential changes. Those flying to the Middle East should be especially attentive and have backup plans ready.

"Go on the internet. Go to the company's website. See what's going on," he said, advising travelers to consider alternative arrangements if their flights could be canceled.