U.S. and Cuba sign agreement to resume commercial flights

Feb 19, 2016, 14:40

Major U.S. airlines including, but not limited to, American, Delta, United, Jet Blue, and Southwest have expressed interest in providing service to Cuba. These restrictions figure to ease once commercial flights resume.

"American Airlines commends the USA government for its commitment to re-establishing cultural and economic ties between the US and Cuba, and for laying the groundwork to restore scheduled air service between the two countries for the first time in more than 50 years", said American's chairman and CEO Doug Parker. The agreement permits twenty (20) scheduled non-stop flights between the us gateways and Havana, as well as ten (10) scheduled non-stop flights between the USA and nine (9) smaller Cuban cities - Camagüey, Cayo Coco, Cayo Largo, Cienfuegos, Holguín, Manzanillo, Varadero, Santa Clara, and Santiago de Cuba.

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Following the signing, the U.S. Department of Transportation opened bidding by American air carriers on as many as 110 U.S.-Cuba flights a day, which is more than five times the current number, and these flights will be commercial and open for all Americans, as compared to the current setup that allow for only chartered trips. The department will consider which proposals will offer and maintain the best service to the traveling and shipping public. The Department recognises the eagerness of U.S. carriers to take advantage of these new Cuba opportunities, and intends to reach a final decision as expeditiously as possible. Applications to offer service to Cuba are due to DOT on March 2, 2016.

"We are excited to announce the availability of new scheduled air service opportunities to Cuba for USA carriers, shippers, and the traveling public, and we will conduct this proceeding in a manner created to maximize public benefits", Foxx said in a statement released Tuesday by the Transportation Department. Presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro made the announcement that they will start to normalize relations between the two countries in late 2014, after more than half a century, interrupted by the Cold War.

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All the flights that are now taking place between the two countries are only charter flights. Once the regulations are repealed, flights to and from Cuba would be subject to the same legal requirements as other worldwide flights. The trade embargo over Cuba dates back since 1960. "The resumption of flights represents a critically important milestone in the efforts to dialogue and normalisation of relations with Cuba".

The deal does not contemplate flights by Cuba's national airline to the United States, where lawyers for families and businesses that have sued Havana over decades-old property confiscations are eager to freeze any of its assets that they can get their hands on. Passengers still are required to give their reason for traveling to Cuba and tourism is not one of the accepted reasons. The arrangement does not limit charter services, meaning that no DOT allocation procedures are needed and charter flights can continue as before.

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