Delta Air Lines is cutting service from Boston to Mexico City before the route even launches. Service between the two cities was supposed to start on December 21.

Cutting the route before it even starts

In May, Delta Air Lines announced it would launch a new international route from Boston Logan International Airport (BOS). From December 1, the airline would begin connecting Boston with Benito Juárez International Airport (MEX) in Mexico City. The Boeing 757-200s would service the route with 199 seats, offering daily flights between the Massachusetts and Mexican capitals.

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According to Cirium schedule data, Delta has wiped the route from its system. The removal equates to a reduction of 22 total flights in December and 4,378 seats. In January and the following months, about 60 flights were removed, averaging about 12,000 seats.

"Given commercial and operational considerations, Delta will pause our planned launch of Boston-Mexico City service this December. While we evaluate future plans for this route, we will continue to offer convenient connections from Boston to Mexico City via six Delta hubs. Customers who were booked on the route will be accommodated. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused."

Had Delta launched the route from Boston to Mexico City, it would have been the carrier’s second Mexican city served from Boston. Currently, Delta flies from Boston to Cancun, one of Mexico’s most popular beach destinations. According to Cirium, Delta has daily flights scheduled to Cancun in December, sending its Boeing 737-900s to Mexico. The Atlanta-based carrier has 62 flights scheduled in both directions, totaling 11,160 seats.

Other carriers’ service to Mexico

Delta is not the only airline that flies from Boston to Mexico. American Airlines and JetBlue both have service to Mexico in December. Between the three airlines, 84 flights (one-way) are scheduled from Boston to Mexico, 31 from Delta, 48 from JetBlue, and five from American.

The three airlines fly to Cancun, offering passengers several options for their winter vacation to the beaches and the surrounding region. JetBlue deploys its Airbus A321s to Cancun, offering 9,600 seats in December. As mentioned above, Delta sends the 737-900. American will launch the Cancun flights in December and will send the Boeing 737-800s on the route.

Delta’s greater Mexico network

Delta flies to Mexico from all of its hubs, with the greatest number of flights leaving from Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL). In December, Delta has 1,413 flights scheduled to Mexico and 533 depart from Atlanta. Minneapolis (MSP) has the second-largest number of Mexico flights, with 178, and Detroit (DTW) has 169.

Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

From Atlanta, Delta flies to Cancun, Cozumel, Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey, Puerto Vallarta, and San Jose del Cabo. Delta flies from Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport to Cancun, Cozumel, Mexico City, Puerto Vallarta, and San Jose del Cabo. Detroit serves the same Mexican cities as Minneapolis, minus Cozumel.

Below is a breakdown of Delta’s Mexico flights by hub:

Were you planning on taking advantage of Delta's new route to MEX? Let us know in the comments below.