Flights to Cuba, is it business gold or just plain folly? That’s the question I ask, as a mass of airlines have lined up to request permission to operate service to the Island nation. The list of airlines petitioning the government for route access includes Alaska, American, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, and United. It appears that the number of airlines and quantities of flights being requested are huge. The fact that most refugees left Cuba because they did not want to be oppressed by a communist regime would lead me to believe that those people would not want to return to Cuba, even to visit. Nothing has changed in regards to the Cuban government. As far as tourism goes, visiting a communist country is not very high on my wish list. In fact, it’s not on the list at all. Americans can go to Cuba now if they wish without having to apply for permission, as long as the trip falls within one of 12 reasons. The 12 categories of legal travel includes visits to close relatives, academic studies, professional research, journalism, religious activities, arts or public performances, and participating in sporting events. Tourism is still prohibited, and travelers must denote the purpose of their trip and keep all receipts for a period of five years.

Cuba applications filed with Department of Transportation

  • Alaska Airlines: Proposing to operate two daily nonstop flights from Los Angeles to Havana, Cuba. The Los Angeles area has the largest Cuban population in the Western US.
  • American Airlines: Proposing to operate 10 daily flights to Havana from Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, and Miami. The airline also has proposed daily service between Miami and five other Cuban destinations.
  • Delta Air Lines: Proposing to operate nonstop daily service to Havana from Atlanta, Miami, New York (JFK), and Orlando.
  • JetBlue: Proposing to operate nonstop daily service to Havana from Boston, Ft. Lauderdale, New York (JFK), Newark, Orlando, and Tampa.
  • Southwest Airlines: Proposing to operate nonstop daily service to Havana from Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando, and Tampa. The airline also applied for service to Varadero and Santa Clara from Ft. Lauderdale.
  • United Airlines: Proposing to operate nonstop daily service to Havana from Chicago, Houston, Newark, and Washington DC (Dulles).

Cuba