The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has tentatively awarded United Airlines nonstop flights to Cuba from Houston’s Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and New York/Newark.
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Since renewed diplomatic relations between the USA and Cuban began to ease travel restrictions, American travel to the once off-limits island nation has sky-rocketed.
The recommendation to approve the commercial service from USA airports to Cuba is another long stride in President Barack Obama’s effort to normalize relations between the two countries. After a period where opponents can file objections, the DOT plans to make final decisions later this summer.
Eight U.S. airlines have received approval to begin daily flights to Havana, according to a Department of Transportation announcement. More than 100,000 USA travelers went to Cuba a year ago. The first U.S.to Cuba flight is scheduled to fly from Fort Lauderdale to Santa Clara in September.
“Today we take another important step toward delivering on President Obama’s promise to re-engage Cuba”, said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.
Since diplomatic relations between the two countries were restored last July, visits by Americans to Cuba have increased markedly. DOT’s decision contains requirements that, if made final, will require that the carriers begin their services within 90 days of the issue date of a final order. The Obama administration eased rules, however, making it possible for travelers to design their own “people-to-people” cultural exchange tours with little oversight. Those routes will connect five US cities – Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Chicago, Minneapolis/St. Paul and Philadelphia – with nine Cuban cities. Some of the allowed reasons are family visits, educational and religious trips, as well as some commercial travel.
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USA citizens’ interest in visiting Cuba has swelled since relations between the two nations started to thaw in December 2014. The Associated Press reported that nearly 160,000 USA leisure travelers flew to Cuba a year ago, and that figure does not include hundreds of thousands of Cuban-Americans who went to visit family. American Airlines will receive the biggest share of flights, at 35 per week, closely followed by JetBlue with 27. “With U.S. airlines now poised to unleash the power of American travelers and their frequent flier miles, the time has come for Congress to eliminate the archaic restrictions on U.S.travel to Cuba”, he said in a statement.
