US – Havana hopefuls named

Eight airlines including United, Delta, American and Southwest have been put forward by the US government to start nonstop flights from US to Havana, administration officials said. Alaska Air, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue, and Spirit Airlines are also included on the list.

US transportation secretary Anthony Foxx said publication of the list was “another important step toward delivering on President Obama's promise to re-engage Cuba”.

The round-trip flights would depart from US cities with large Cuban-American populations and serve as connection points or hubs within the US, he added. These include Atlanta, Charlotte, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, New York, Orlando and Tampa.

The government’s selections were made from 12 airlines that applied for rights to operate to Havana on the basis of having a variety of carriers including large legacy airlines and low-cost carriers from several airports and cities.

The decision comes almost a year after the US and Cuba re-established diplomatic relations after decades of Cold War tension. 

The US previously announced approval for six US airlines to fly to Cuban cities outside Havana (BTN 13 June). Ten round-trip flights between the US and other Cuban airports are allowed under the agreement.

www.transportation.gov

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