Latin America

Judi Lynn

(160,537 posts) Tue Apr 10, 2018, 10:03 PM Apr 2018

Travel to Cuba getting popular again just in time for more Havana flights

Travel to Cuba getting popular again — just in time for more Havana flights

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Chabeli Herrera
Miami Herald

APRIL 10, 2018 9:23 AM

More flights to Cuba are on the horizon.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has tentatively awarded a slew of U.S.-Havana routes to five major airlines from several cities in the country. The proposed schedule is open for public comment and will likely be finalized later this month.

The new flights were awarded after a number of carriers reduced service to the island last year. Initially, airlines clamored to get a slice of the DOT's 20 available daily round-trip flights from the U.S., only to find weaker demand than expected, forcing some to stop flying to certain cities on the island or cut Cuba service altogether.

The new flights, which all service Havana instead of lesser-known Cuban cities, indicate demand may be creeping up again for travel to Cuba, said Tom Popper, president of Insight Cuba, which has been leading U.S. tours on the island since 2000.

More:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/ct-havana-flights-20180410-story.html

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Travel to Cuba getting popular again just in time for more Havana flights (Original Post) Judi Lynn Apr 2018 OP

Airlines Make Renewed Bid For Cuba Routes Despite Trump Administration Chill Judi Lynn Apr 2018 #1

Judi Lynn

(160,537 posts)

1. Airlines Make Renewed Bid For Cuba Routes Despite Trump Administration Chill

Reply to Judi Lynn (Original post)

Tue Apr 10, 2018, 10:07 PM

Apr 2018

Logistics & Transportation #BigBusiness
APR 5, 2018 @ 11:34 AMU.S.

Michael Goldstein , CONTRIBUTOR

In a little-noticed Friday afternoon announcement last week, the U.S. Department of Transportation tentatively redistributed Cuba routes to five leading U.S. airlines, including American, Delta, United, Southwest and JetBlue. By an agreement reached between the U.S. and Cuba in 2016, there can be up to 20 daily flights between the U.S. and Havana. Although so far results have been disappointing after an initial flurry of interest, U.S. airlines may see the long-term potential of tourism to the island.

(Full disclosure: I own stock in JetBlue and Southwest Airlines.)

In 2016, visits by Cuban Americans and other U.S. travelers totaled 614,433, a 34% increase over the previous year. But in 2017, that number grew only slightly, to 650,000 travelers from the U.S. out of 4.5 million international visitors to Cuba. In 2017, the Trump Administration put policies into place discouraging Americans from visiting Cuba by ending 'people-to-people' visas, restricting educational visas and barring U.S. citizens from doing business with entities with ties to Cuba’s military and security establishment. These include many hotels, travel agencies, stores and even rum factories. These new restrictions, combined with issues with basic tourist infrastructure like Havana Airport's ‘bursting at the seams’, less-than-first class hotel accommodations and even difficulties for tourists getting cash served to discourage U.S. travelers and airlines alike.

In addition, the Cuba embargo, originally made official by President Kennedy in 1962, remains in place. Americans are only allowed to visit Cuba if they receive visas within 12 categories of authorized travel such as family visits, journalistic activity, professional research and meetings, educational and religious activities, public performances and competitions, humanitarian projects and several other categories.

More:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelgoldstein/2018/04/05/us-airlines-make-renewed-bid-for-cuba-routes-despite-trump-administration-chill/#d13bd1336dce

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