Flights cut at Billings airport as fuel costs rise, policies shift

Air carriers have canceled some scheduled flights to and from Billings Logan International Airport amid changing policies from the Trump administration and rising fuel costs.

United Airlines announced the suspension of a daily non-stop flight to Chicago that was meant to resume this summer after starting last year. Then, Allegiant Airlines told the airport they would be dropping a few flights out of its summer schedule this week; the airline currently offers regular flights to Las Vegas and Mesa, Arizona.

Billings is the second busiest airport in the state, following Bozeman.

Airport director Jeff Roach couldn’t offer the exact number of total seats lost for passengers with the recent Allegiant Airlines change, calling the reduction “very minor.” But he said the change with United Airlines will lose the airport about 24,000 seats. Last year, Billings’ airport had seats for about 1.2 million passengers in total, with 60,000 seats added in total.

Roach said these sorts of changes are affected by factors outside of the airport’s control and the airport is doing what it can to not negatively impact the cost of operating for airlines.

“I'm always disappointed when the carrier has to do a reduction in service to Billings, but I understand that they make business decisions, and there are things that are happening that are impactful to the aviation industry,” Roach said. “Right now, the FAA’s reduction in operations, those are impactful. The cost of jet fuel today is very impactful to the aviation industry. There are the tariff impacts and the problems with international travel being down impacting the aviation industry as well.”

United told the airport that its suspension came as the FAA looks to cap flights at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, which has recently become the U.S.’s busiest report as airlines have added more and more flights to compete.

The federal government wants the cap out of concern of potential forced cancellations or delays in the future. NPR reported in April that United might be more receptive to the regulation in cutting some of its less popular flights because of rising fuel costs.

The airport director said Allegiant hasn’t given an initial reason for flight cancellations. The airport plans to visit with them in early June to better understand the airline’s plans. Allegiant didn’t immediately respond to a Billings Gazette inquiry.

As of Thursday, the price of jet fuel in the U.S has jumped 55% since the start of the Iran War in late February and an associated blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, according to the Argus U.S. Jet Fuel Index. On April 2, jet fuel was more than double pre-war prices. Ticket prices have also increased in areas because of the higher gas prices that make up roughly 25% to 30% of airlines’ costs.

At a roundtable with independent Senate candidate Seth Bodnar Thursday, Billings Chamber of Commerce President John Brewer saw the reduction in flights as part of a larger problem of ongoing governmental instability. He said United pulled back because of the oil price at the meeting.

“Civility and stability really need to be part of our federal government,” Brewer told the roundtable of economic leaders held at the chamber. “And as you look at our economy, it's so diverse here in Billings, and we've gotten by on 2.5 to 3% steady growth in Billings for a long time. We're not one of those communities that spikes up and down. But I feel like every one of our industries right now that has been so successful, between ag, health care, finance, tourism economy, on and on, is being impacted by that instability, whether it's tariffs, the war, oil prices — you name it, it's hitting us hard.”

If high fuel prices don’t end soon, Roach said more flight reductions will be likely. Still, the airport director is optimistic.

Last year, after commemorating more than 1 million passengers coming through the airport in a calendar year for the first time, the first four months of 2026 indicated that the airport was tracking above the record number established last year.

Roach also noted United still plans to continue three Saturday flights between Billings and Chicago for August and September. An additional daily flight with Alaska Airlines to Seattle is also set for this summer.

“So, there are some positives as well,” he said. “So we’re hopeful high fuel prices at this time will end soon, and we'll be able to get back to encouraging people to continue to fly.”