United Airlines is suspending flights in Arizona, Arkansas this fall

Nationwide, the pain of flight delays, cancellations and staffing shortages appears persistent. The latest consequence is United Airlines' decision to suspend flights to Denver from Flagstaff Pulliam Airport due to staffing issues and the high cost of fuel, Flagstaff city leaders said Monday.

Airport director Barry Helmick said in a statement that he and his staff are "disappointed" by United's decision.

United is also ending service to Texarkana, Arkansas. Flights connecting Houston and Texarkana are scheduled to end on Sept. 6, and service between Denver and Flagstaff will end on Oct. 30.

Flagstaff, Ariz., service ends Oct. 30

United will review whether to reinstate Flagstaff flights after a six-month review, according to Flagstaff officials.

"United flights out of Flagstaff are at 90% load capacity, meaning 90% of the seats are filled which is viewed as very successful in the commercial airline industry," Helmick said. "We will continue to stay in contact with United during 2022 in hopes we can reestablish service in 2023.”

"We’ve made the difficult decision to suspend service to two cities this fall – Flagstaff and Texarkana – and have already started working with customers on alternate plans," United Airlines said in a statement to The Arizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY Network.

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The route wasn't immune to other travel issues

Despite the route's popularity, city leaders acknowledged how it wasn't immune to airlines' ongoing challenges.

Airlines including American, Delta and JetBlue have all announced varying degrees of schedule cuts through the summer. United reduced its schedule by 12% Friday in Newark, New Jersey.

"The load percentages are incredible, but we can’t control pilot, crew, plane shortages or on time issues that are happening nationwide," said Heidi Hansen, Flagstaff's interim deputy city manager.

Airport officials are continuing talks with American and United on additional routes and considering other airlines for new service, Harper said.

Reach the reporter at Michael.Salerno@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @salerno_phx.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: United Airlines suspends flights to Flagstaff, Ariz., Texarkana, Ark.