American, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, and United Set to Add More Flights to Havana

Major U.S. airlines including American, Delta, and United could soon add flights to Havana, thanks to a new proposal from the Department of Transportation, which oversees service to Cuba. While many American carriers already fly to Havana, these additional flights will make it even easier to reach the Cuban capital at a time when tourism there is slumping, in part because of a Department of State warning issued last September advising that travelers “not travel to Cuba” because “numerous U.S. Embassy Havana employees have been targeted in specific attacks.”

That warning, and an advisory issued on March 2 that says potential visitors should “reconsider travel,” has had a serious affect on the number of people going to Cuba in recent months, tour operators who specialize in the country say. The deadly Hurricane Irma, which hit the island in September 2017, also hurt tourism. And of course, it's long been complicated to to visit, with sometimes confusing regulations on where you can stay and what you can—and can't—do while in the country. (Speaking of, here's our most recent decoder of how to legally travel to Cuba.) All of that has led to Americans putting off trips—with the exception of cruise ship passengers, many of whom book far in advance.

Still, airlines are largely bullish on the long-term future of tourism to Havana despite the recent challenges. American and Delta plan to add flights from Miami; JetBlue will increase flights from Boston and Fort Lauderdale; Southwest aims to add service from Fort Lauderdale, too. United, which currently only flies once a week from Houston to Havana, will start going daily. At the same time, airlines including American and JetBlue have actually cut the number of flights they operate to smaller cities like Holguin and Santa Clara.

There’s no official start date for any of these new flights, but the DOT will be taking public comment on the proposed changes through April 23, after which “a final decision” will be made, the agency says.

Here are all the proposed new services, as described by the Department of Transportation:

1. American Airlines from Miami, once daily

2. Delta Air Lines from Miami, once daily

3. JetBlue Airways from Fort Lauderdale, six times weekly (Sunday-Friday)

4. JetBlue Airways from Boston, once weekly (Saturday)

5. Southwest Airlines from Fort Lauderdale, once daily

6. United Airlines/Mesa Airlines from Houston, six times weekly (Sunday-Friday)