Tulum’s Airport Boom Has Turned Into a Bust for American Flyers

Tulum’s new airport opened to big expectations, but the flights are leaving. According to Thrifty Traveler’s November 6 newsletter, United will cancel all Tulum service after January 2027, ending a schedule that once ran 28 flights a week. Its Newark and Houston routes end in January with no return date announced.

The numbers are stark. Peak service in July 2024 topped 300 monthly flights from the United States and Canada, but this autumn the figure was fewer than 30, based on the outlet’s charts. U.S. seat capacity for next summer is projected to be down 90 percent from that peak. Canada is down only about 30 percent from its 2025 high and will have more Tulum service than the U.S. this winter.

A few American carriers remain. American Airlines flies from Dallas-Fort Worth five to seven times a week all year, the only U.S. airline to do so, though its Miami route ends in January. Delta keeps Atlanta five to seven times weekly through May. Air Canada, Air Transat and WestJet serve Tulum from Toronto, Montreal and other Canadian cities a few times a week, and Aeromexico is also leaving.

For travelers, the Tulum area is still reachable, but often through Cancun, which has far more nonstop service and sits a couple of hours away by road. Anyone with a Tulum trip booked for next year should check their airline’s schedule, since cancellations at this scale often trigger rebooking or refund options.

Sources: Thrifty Traveler