US announces details of new scheduled flights to Cuba
Airlines will be able to operate a total of 110 round-trip scheduled flights a day between the US and Cuba, which was more than originally thought.
However, only 20 can be to the capital Havana.
Up to 10 flights a day will be allowed to each of Cuba’s nine other international airports, Thomas Engle, the US deputy assistant secretary for transportation affairs announced on Friday.
Even though airlines are eager to start services, scheduled flights are unlikely to start until the second quarter of 2016 as the approval process will take two to three months, he said.
The deal will allow airlines from both countries to have commercial agreements such as codesharing or leasing planes to each other
With a limited number of flights to Havana, there is likely to be intense competition to secure convenient slots among the major US airlines.
American Airlines said it hopes to start flying scheduled services by the end of June and will continue operating existing charter flights until then.
JetBlue also said it plans flights ‘from numerous US cities to multiple destinations in Cuba,’
"Interest in Cuba has reached levels not seen for a generation. We will review the terms of the agreement to understand how JetBlue can expand from charter service to regularly scheduled service," said JetBlue’s senior vice president airline planning, Scott Laurence.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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