Which US carrier offers the most seats to Cancun this month?

For those living in the United States , winter has arrived in full force. As this article is being written, the weather predictions for the weekend and next week forecasts widespread snow, severe storms and a wintry blast that will spread its reach across most of the country.

Even places that are typically warmer, like Fort Worth, Texas and Pensacola, Florida, will see temperatures dropping well below freezing.

Winter storm warnings have been issued in places like Wichita, Kansas and St. Louis, Missouri, with winter storm watches activated in Indianapolis, Indiana and Louisville, Kentucky.

Atlanta will experience lows similar to New York City. While cities like Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Erie, Pennsylvania will experience daytime highs that will remain well below the freezing point next week.

Of course, this is just the forecast, so there is always a chance of some inaccuracy in the weather predictions. Nonetheless, cold weather is here to stay for a little while.

In times like these, many Americans begin to fly south to warmer spots like Cancun, Mexico, where folks can escape the scourge of winter and relax in warm sunshine, even if it's only for a few days of tropical bliss.

The airlines take advantage of these winter migratory patterns and shift capacity as needed to meet operational demands on certain routes. In this article we take a look at the popular destination of Cancun and analyze which U.S. airlines are offering the most flights and seats to this warm-weather getaway in January 2025.

A few reasons why Cancun is such a popular destination this time of year

Cancun has always been a popular attraction for many Americans. However, its global popularity has grown over the last few years, making it one of the more popular travel destinations in the world. Clearly, the warmer weather is a draw for the many tourists that frequent Cancun.

The average daily-high temperature in January is 83° Fahrenheit (28° Celsius), whereas the average daily-low temperature is a nice 67° Fahrenheit (19° Celsius). According to Cancuncare, the average number of rainy days for Cancun in January is only 5 days.

That means that even in the grips of winter, Cancun's weather is quite pleasant and truly offers an escape from the cold. Wearing shorts and flip-flops and going to the beach is perfectly normal and comfortable at this time of year.

There are endless beaches, beautiful clear seas, as well as several day-trip attractions, such as Rio Secreto and the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve. National parks abound and beautiful flora and fauna deck the tropical landscape.

There are plenty of quiet, restful areas to relax in the sun, or for the adventurous types, plenty of activities to keep one from being bored. As Tripadvisor notes:

Clearly, Cancun has a lot to offer. The airlines are eager to take advantage of this and connect the cities around the world to this tropical paradise.

American Airlines leads in the number of flights offered to Cancun

Of America’s Big Three Airlines, American Airlines is the clear leader in the number of flights offered to Cancun in January 2025. Cirium data indicates that American Airlines will offer 789 direct flights from eighteen U.S. cities.

The total number of seats offered by American on flights with direct service to Cancun falls in at a total of 141,458 for the month of January. This makes the airline the clear leader overall in the number of flights and seats available for this route. Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) leads with the largest number of flights (223) to Cancun, followed by Miami (146 flights).

United Airlines follows at a distant second place when compared to the number of seats offered by American. Cirium notes that in January 2025, United will offer a total of 129,252 seats to Cancun across 658 flights from eight U.S. cities.

The largest number of United Airlines flights to Cancun will be offered from George Bush Intercontinental Houston Airport (IAH), with a total of 161 flights scheduled in January. United’s hub at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) connects the North East with a total of 105 flights scheduled to Cancun in January.

Delta Air Lines follows in a very close third place. Though the airline has more flights scheduled from more cities to Cancun than United Airlines, the number of seats available is less.

In January of 2025, Delta Air Lines has scheduled a total of 682 flights to Cancun. Ten U.S. cities across Delta’s network will have direct flights to Cancun while the total number of seats on offer will be 127, 904.

As can be expected, Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) will be the largest departure point with 206 flights scheduled to Cancun. Interestingly, Minneapolis-St. Paul International (MSP) is the second-largest departure city in Delta’s network with 146 flights planned to the tropical paradise.

Southwest Airlines, JetBlue, and Spirit Airlines

Other U.S. airlines with a notable presence in Cancun are Southwest Airlines , JetBlue , and Spirit Airlines . Of these three, Southwest is the clear leader, with 361 non-stop flights scheduled to Cancun from fifteen U.S. cities in January 2025. Southwest’s Boeing 737s will bring 58,151 seats to the market.

The largest number of Southwest flights to Cancun will be scheduled from the airlines’ operations out of Houston’s William P Hobby Airport (HOU). Houston leads with 91 flights scheduled for the month. However, Southwest's second-largest departure point will be Baltimore/Washington International (BWI) with 62 flights scheduled to Cancun International Airport in January 2025.

JetBlue is a close contender with 335 flights scheduled to Cancun in the month of January. According to Cirium data, the airline will connect seven U.S. cities with non-stop service to Cancun.

As can be expected, New York John F. Kennedy International Airport has the most JetBlue flights to Cancun, with 97 flights scheduled. Boston and Fort Lauderdale follow, with both cities each offering 57 JetBlue flights to the popular destination in Mexico. In total, the airline will bring 56,726 seats to this market.

A quick search of low fares to Cancun reveals that Spirit Airlines is a strong challenger in this market. The airline has scheduled 174 flights to Cancun in the month of January. If the low-cost discomfort is not a problem for travelers, Spirit Airlines plans to bring 34,953 seats to the market and will connect nine U.S. cities with non-stop service to Cancun.

Spirit Airlines will be competing with JetBlue out of Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport (FLL) by offering 34 flights in January. Fort Lauderdale is Spirit’s leading departure point for this destination, but Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) will be a close second with the airline offering 33 flights to Cancun this month.

Some other noteworthy U.S. airlines that fly to Cancun

Alaska Airlines , Frontier Airlines , and Sun Country Airlines also fly regular services to Cancun. Though these U.S. airlines do not offer as many flights as the other U.S. airlines mentioned here, they still have a noteworthy presence in Cancun. If anything, they further the flight options and add a little more competition to the services, which ultimately works in the best interest of customers.

When it comes to the number of flights offered, Frontier is not that far behind Spirit Airlines. For January 2025, Frontier has 153 flights from nine cities scheduled to Cancun. According to Cirium, this brings an additional 33,743 seats to the market.

Frontier’s busiest departure points for Cancun are Chicago O’Hare (ORD) and St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) each offering 31 flights in January.

Alaska Airlines' presence is significantly less. The airline plans to serve Cancun with 115 flights from five cities in January. Alaska Airlines will add 20,451seats to the market with 66 of the Cancun flights jumping off from its primary departure point at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

Sun Country Airlines has a very small presence and only adds 15,438 seats to the market this month. However, the airline lives up to its name by bringing people from the cold places in the north to the warm and sunny climates of destinations such as Cancun.

The airline plans to offer 83 flight services to Cancun from Minneapolis-St Paul (MSP) and Milwaukee’s General Mitchell International Airport (MKE). Fifty-nine flights are scheduled out of Minneapolis-St Paul in January, with the remaining twenty-four services to Cancun being flown out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Bottom line: American Airlines is by far the leader

If one were to add all the seats from Frontier, Alaska, and Sun Country together, then double that number, the total would still be 2,194 seats less than the total number of seats offered by American Airlines to Cancun this month. Clearly, American has the largest number of flights from the U.S. and the most seats on offer to this tropical destination.

From its hub at Dallas/Fort Worth alone, American Airlines has 223 flights scheduled to Cancun in January. If someone considers the number of cities that are served by American's hub at DFW, the one-stop and two-stop connection possibilities to Cancun are almost limitless, not just from the United States, but from anywhere in the world that American and its oneworld partners fly.