5 major U.S airlines could add Havana flights

According to a recent report by the Associated Press, the U.S Department of Transportation has announced that five major U.S airlines may add Havana routes, after service by some carriers ceased.

It was proposed that a series of new routes linking into Havana be divided up between American Airlines, Delta, JetBlue, United Airlines, and Southwest Airlines, after Alaska Airlines, Delta, Frontier, and Spirit stopped service due to a lack of demand for travel to the country's capital.

According to a fact sheet listed on the Department of Transportation's website, back in June 2016, DOT approved American flights into other Cuban cities from American, Frontier, JetBlue, Silver Airways, Southwest, and Sun Country. The cities frequented back in 2016 included Holguin, Santa Clara, Camaguey, Cienfuegos, Cayo Coco, Cayo Largo del Sur, and Manzanillo, among others, but no direct service to Havana had ever been approved.

If these five American airlines do in fact add flights into Havana, Cuba, it could mean 20 daily flights from multiple points of entry in the U.S into Havana, marking a first for both countries, however, due to the Trump administration's regulations on travel to Cuba, the potential for a tourism boom could be halted.

Under the Trump administration, Americans may only travel to Cuba for the following reasons:

• Journalistic activities
• Family travel (relatives must live in Cuba)
• Educational activities
• Religious activities
• Official U.S government business
• Public performances, clinics, workshops, athletic and other competitions, and exhibitionsProfessional research activities
• Providing support to Cuban people
• Humanitarian projects/aid
• Activities of private foundations or research or educational institutes
• Exportation, importation, or transmission of information or informational materials
• Certain export transactions that may be considered for authorization under existing Department of Commerce regulations and guidelines with respect to Cuba or engaged in by U.S.-owned or -controlled foreign firms

More information on U.S travel to Cuba can be found at https://cu.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/local-resources-of-u-s-citizens/traveling-to-cuba/.

Canadians wishing to travel to Cuba can visit https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/cuba.