JetBlue 387, the first commercial flight between th.
Advertisement
10 airlines have been granted licenses to undertake up to 110 flights per day between the two countries and this looks set to lead to a surge in visitors, many drawn to Havana by its colonial architecture.
Another milestone in the renewed relations between the United States and Cuba as the first commercial flight in more than 50 years between the two countries took off today (Wednesday) from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
The arrival opens a new era of US-Cuba travel with about 300 flights a week connecting the USA with an island cut off from most Americans by the 55-year-old trade embargo on Cuba and formal ban on USA citizens engaging in tourism on the island.
Cuba and the United States open their newest chapter in relations on Wednesday with the first regular commercial flight from America to the communist-ruled island in more than 50 years.
The Associated Press is the essential global news network, delivering fast, unbiased news from every corner of the world to all media platforms and formats.
The U.S. Transportation Department granted 20 daily Havana flights now after previously assigning routes to several Cuban provinces.
The airlines receiving those awards “include network, low-cost and ultra-low-cost carriers”, he said. Delta and Frontier were given daily flights from Miami, and Southwest and Spirit were authorized to fly twice daily to Havana from Fort Lauderdale.
Silver Airways’ first flight 100 is scheduled to depart Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International (FLL) on September 1, 2016 at 7:15 am with arrival in Santa Clara, Cuba (SNU) at 8:56 am. The airlines will fly from Atlanta; Charlotte, N.C.; Fort Lauderdale; Houston; Los Angeles; Miami; Newark; New York; Orlando, Florida.; and Tampa, Florida.
After escalating tensions during the Cold War, no USA commercial flights were allowed to what had been one of the most popular American tourism destinations.
The historic flight featured five specially selected Cuban-American crew members.
A reception and remarks from dignitaries will greet the passengers when they deplane before JetBlue Flight 388 makes its return to the U.S.
JetBlue said passengers would enjoy an in-flight bingo game and giveaways.
Also on board the 45-minute flight was Transportation Secretary Anthony FoxxAnthony FoxxUS finalizes flights to Cuba’s capital Commercial US flight lands in Cuba for first time in 50 years Feds funnel almost M toward DC Metro safety efforts MORE, who is expected to announce the finalized routes for 20 daily nonstop flights to Havana soon. Only those visiting family or those traveling for educational, religious or business purposes can go there.
“The Havana competition was one of the most over-subscribed competitions that I’ve been a part of”, Foxx said in an interview before the plane took off.
The resumption of flights marks another significant milestone in the continued efforts to improve relations between the two countries. “We have the third largest Cuban-American population in the USA, so we’re a natural market for this service”.
“Up to a year ago, we were doing reservations by fax machines”, Peter Sanchez, the chief executive of Cuba Tours and Travel, told The New York Times. Up until now, you needed a charter flight to fly to the country from the states. Now, tourists can fill an online federal affidavit to buy their Cuban tourist visa in USA airports.
Advertisement
Cuban officials insist the continuing US ban on tourism will limit the impact of commercial flights to Cuba, but some experts believe the drastic reduction in the difficulty of flying to Cuba could turn the surge in USA visitors into a tidal wave.
