The U.S. government has given permission to six airlines to go ahead and start service to secondary cities in Cuba, but the OK to fly to Havana is still on hold till later this year. The new treaty between the U.S. and Cuba allows U.S. airlines to ultimately fly up to 110 flights daily to the island — 20 to Havana and 10 to each of nine other international airports. The Havana routes are most prized, so for most of the routes awarded this week, the airlines each got what they asked for. The six airlines are American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Frontier Airlines, Sun Country Airlines and Silver Airways. U.S. airlines have not flown to Cuba in more than 50 years.
The U.S. flights will originate from Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Chicago, Minneapolis-St. Paul and Philadelphia. The airlines have said they will start selling tickets later this month and airplanes are expected to start flying in September. Currently, it’s possible for general aviation pilots to fly to Cuba from the U.S., but the process is complex and pilots are assessed multiple fees.
