Scheduled U.S. flights spanning less than 250 nautical miles fell 11% from 2016 to 2026, with nearly 4 million such flights on the schedule for 2026, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Domestic jet fuel costs roughly doubled since early February 2026, and airlines have shifted capacity toward longer, denser domestic routes.

U.S. airlines spent more than $5 billion on jet fuel in March 2026, a 56% increase from February 2026, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Spirit Airlines ceased operations in early May 2026, saying it shut down due to soaring jet fuel costs.

Scheduled flights spanning 251 to 500 nautical miles were booked 2.1 million times in 2026, a roughly 4% decrease from 2016. Flights spanning 501 to 750 nautical miles grew by 11% to nearly 1.7 million in 2026, while flights spanning more than 750 nautical miles and those spanning more than 1,000 nautical miles each posted double-digit percentage gains over the decade. Flights under 250 nautical miles remain the second most popular domestic route distance in the U.S. despite the decline.

"Unfortunately for short-haul routes, the economics are not in their favor," said Ahmed Abdelghani, professor of operations management at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He said fleet renewal was reshaping the route map. "Those new generation narrowbody aircraft will have much better economics than the smaller 50-seater, 70-seater aircraft," Abdelghani said.

Pilot supply has compounded the cost pressure on short hops. "Any time there is pressure like that, particularly a cost pressure, but also a resource pressure, airlines are going to concentrate flying where they can move the most passengers with the fewest pilots," said Faye Malarkey Black, chief executive of the Regional Airline Association. In a separate remark on what sustains short-haul service, she said, "It's not the distance, it's the density."

In the early 2000s, regional airlines were the only source of scheduled air service for roughly three-quarters of U.S. airports; by 2026, that figure was closer to two-thirds. Every day, thousands of U.S. airline passengers travel routes under 100 miles on flights lasting less than an hour. There are dozens of flights between Milwaukee and Chicago each week, despite the cities being separated by less than 80 miles. The rail line between the two cities runs between their downtowns and does not serve their airports. "That is an awful distance to be operating," said John Grant, senior analyst at OAG.