US names eight airlines for scheduled Havana services

US names eight airlines for scheduled Havana services
AFP Relax News•July 7, 2016

US transport authorities nominated eight airlines to begin regularly
scheduled services to Havana, Cuba, to end a nearly six-decade break.

The Department of Transportation said the airlines proposed for the
service would share 20 round-trip flights a day already approved by the
two governments, to link 10 US cities with Havana.

"Today we take another important step toward delivering on President
(Barack) Obama's promise to reengage Cuba," said Transportation
Secretary Anthony Foxx in a statement.

"Restoring regular air service holds tremendous potential to reunite
Cuban American families and foster education and opportunities for
American businesses of all sizes."

In recent years official charter services have multiplied serving a
surge in family, cultural and business traffic as relations, frozen
after the Fidel Castro-led communist takeover of the island in 1959,
have slowly thawed.

The United States and Cuba restored diplomatic ties in July 2015.

The US airlines tentatively approved for scheduled Havana service are
Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines,
JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, and United Airlines.

The arrangement between Cuba and the United States will also provide
Cuban carriers with 20 daily round-trip flights, between Havana and US
cities.

In addition, each side will be able to conduct 10 round-trip flights per
day between US cities and each of Cuba's other international airports,
aside from Havana.

That allows for a total of 90 round-trip flights a day between the two
countries.

Six US airlines were chosen in early June to serve cities other than Havana.

Source: US names eight airlines for scheduled Havana services -
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