The issue of flights between the two countries is high on the agenda as the diplomats work their way through issues that have separated the two nations for years.
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Soon after the federal government announced new rules cracking the door wide open for Americans hoping to visit Cuba, ferries and charter flight operations sprang into action to launch Cuba-bound services for travelers.
On Friday, the American flag was raised over the reopened US Embassy in Havana for the first time in 54 years at a ceremony led by Secretary of State John Kerry.
American Airlines may also supply direct flights from Miami and Tampa, Fla., with locations in addition to Havana together with the Cuban cities of Camaguey, Cienfuegos, Holguin and Santa Clara.
“There’s been a large increase in demand for traffic to get to Cuba”, Howard Kass, AA’s vice president of regulatory affairs, told WFAA TV of Dallas in July. 12 flights a week originate out of Miami international Airport.
Partnering with tour operator Cuba Travel Services, based in Cypress, the airline will offer Saturday flights on Boeing 737s out of Los Angeles international Airport beginning in December. These flights are charter flights arranged by ABC Charters. On a daily basis the tarmacs at Jose Marti are busy with U.S. carriers coming and going. The American L.A. flight will be booked through Cuba Travel Services.
Prices for the flights from Los Angeles to Havana were not immediately available.
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If the Obama administration has its way, commercial flights between Havana and the U.S. will be underway by December via a tack to sidestep the decades-old travel ban requiring congressional approval, The Wall Street Journal reports.
