United quits Mexico's Tulum airport in January and adds 2 Virginia routes from SFO

United Airlines is pulling out of Mexico's newest airport less than three years after it opened. The carrier confirmed Friday it will end all service to Tulum International Airport (TQO) just after the holidays, and instead pump two fresh routes into its San Francisco hub.

The last United flight from Newark Liberty will depart January 2, and the final Houston-to-Tulum nonstop lands January 4. The airline said in a statement it makes "regular adjustments" to schedules "based on seasonality, demand and other market factors."

The Tulum airport welcomed its first international passengers in March 2024 and was pitched as a closer alternative to Cancun, which sits more than two hours north by car. But within months, carriers began cutting service, blaming soft demand. United had already dropped Tulum flights from Chicago and Los Angeles before this week's full exit, JetBlue has pulled out entirely, and both American and Delta have trimmed schedules.

US service to Tulum down more than 50%

Delta will fly to Tulum this winter only from Atlanta, having scrapped Detroit and Minneapolis routes. American still serves the airport from Dallas and Miami but no longer Charlotte. Overall, US air service to Tulum will be down more than 50% compared with two years ago, according to aviation data firm Cirium.

United is hardly retreating from the region overall. The airline is adding two transcontinental routes from San Francisco International Airport, both to Virginia.

Twice-weekly flights to Richmond (RIC) start March 28, running Thursdays and Sundays. On the same day, service to Norfolk (ORF) begins with Wednesday and Saturday flights. It's United's second SFO expansion in as many weeks, after a trio of new domestic routes announced days earlier.

The additions come as United prepares to open its newest United Club at SFO later this year, complete with an outdoor terrace.