Delta Air Lines and United Airlines were granted a reprieve by the U.S. Transportation Department, allowing both to delay the resumption of service to Cuba.
United, Delta Delay Relaunch Of Cuba Service
Per Reuters, under current guidelines United must restart service to Havana by December 1, 2022 while Delta has until March 26, 2023 to do so. Flights to Cuba are slot-controlled and carriers traditionally were assigned slots on a “use it or lose it” basis.
Last month, United said it must “undertake significant work including re-negotiating multiple contracts with service providers that have lapsed, building out necessary infrastructure in Terminal 3 at Havana’s airport where United is being relocated.”
Prior to the pandemic, United served Havana daily from Newark (EWR) and once per week from Houston (IAH).
Delta also suspended all flights to Cuba during the pandemic and holds the right to operate up to 21 weekly flights to Havana, including seven from Atlanta (ATL) and 14 from Miami (MIA). Delta plans to resume Miami – Havana flights first, but indicated it “needs additional time to ensure reintroduction of safe, efficient, and sustainable service to Havana.” Specifically, Delta blamed “ongoing challenges in securing visas for personnel to travel to Cuba” and the island’s limited IT infrastructure as reasons for the further delay.
Cuba is once again open to tourists and in June, the DOT lifted Trump-era restrictions on flights to Cuba beyond Havana. It also allowed both American Airlines and JetBlue Airways to increase flights. American and JetBlue are currently the only U.S. carriers operating to Cuba.
The communist island nation was pummeled by Hurricane Ian last month, leaving many residents and businesses without pour for several weeks. Infrastructure remains a concern.
CONCLUSION
United and Delta will delay the resumption of service to Cuba, blaming infrastructure and visa complications. While United’s exemption only lasts one more month, I would except it to be extended. The backdrop of this story is that service to Cuba has proven difficult for U.S. carriers, with demand often falling short of expectations and thereby lessening the urgency to resume service.
Back in 2019, I flew to Havana from Miami on American and then on Delta from Havana to Miami. First-class upgrades cleared both ways. Very short flights. At that time, the two airlines had like a flight an hour. You could basically fly down to Havana first thing in the morning, hang out all day in Old Havana, have a decent dinner and fly home around 9 or 10 pm. I overnighted but it was possible to do a one-day trip.
Southwest Airlines also offers flights between FLL and HAV. It’s not just American and jetBlue.