When the cost of flight rises sharply enough, the map of the sky itself begins to shrink. Three of America's largest airlines — American, United, and Southwest — are cutting the thinnest threads of their networks in response to surging jet fuel prices, a quiet restructuring that will be felt most acutely by those who live farthest from the center. The industry's response is not merely financial; it is a reminder that connectivity, like most things, is unevenly distributed and among the first things rationed when margins tighten.