The latest progress as the countries work to build on their restoration of full diplomatic relations this summer was made public a year to the day after President Barack Obama and counterpart Raul Castro first said they would bury the hatchet.
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Cuba and the United States reached an agreement on Wednesday night that will allow USA commercial airlines to begin operating flights to the island for the first time in decades, according to us officials with knowledge of the discussion.
He also said that Havana won’t be the only Cuban city it serves.
Nearly none of that has happened. Similar policies for the major leagues would be far more hard due to the USA trade embargo on Cuba and Cuban fears that broad legalization of departures to the US would make the talent drain even worse.
ASTA President Zane Kerby stated that the move would benefit American consumers and travel agents, and called for a complete lifting of Cuba travel restrictions. “Now with commercial flights that will put it on more people’s radar”.
“There’s a lot of prolific travelers in the New Orleans market, and the fact that it is opening up could be a novel thing that a lot of folks might want to consider”, said David Pearlman, an associate professor of hotel, restaurant and tourism administration at the University of New Orleans.
Flights to Cuba could begin within months. In May, the USA removed Cuba from the State Sponsor of Terrorism List following recommendations from Secretary of State John Kerry and Obama’s support.
The Fort Worth-based carriers comment came one day after the US government reached an agreement with Cuba to reopen commercial flights to that island nation.
It remains illegal to travel to Cuba as a tourist.
Professional Cuban-born baseball player Alexei Ramirez, second from right, who used to play with the Chicago White Sox, poses for a photo with a fan before giving a baseball clinic to children in Havana, Cuba, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015.
Speaking at a news conference in Havana, Cuba’s Director of US Affairs Josefina Vidal told reporters that the two countries were close to reaching a preliminary agreement.
“For me it’s a lot of money and there are only a couple of planes that go over there”, he said.
And U.S. businesses eager to launch projects in Cuba say federal regulators are meeting many requests for licenses with confusion or silence.
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In the US, banks afraid of running afoul of the embargo have been blocking legal Cuba-related transactions at rates equal to or higher than before Obama’s announcement. But a spree of defections and lack of resources leave many people here wondering if their beloved national pastime can ever recover.
