Today, Delta Air Lines filed an application with the US government to provide non-stop service to Cuba from four cities in the US.
Scheduled commercial flight service between Cuba and the US has been suspended for decades. Charter flights have connected the two countries in the interim, with carriers from JetBlue to American Airlines operating the flights.
Delta seeks approval to serve Havana with daily flights from its hubs in Atlanta and New York’s JFK International Airport as well as from Miami and Orlando.
“This is a historic moment for Delta as we seek to provide unparalleled access between the U.S. and Cuba,” said Bob Cortelyou, Senior Vice President—Network & Schedule Planning. “Delta’s proposed service to Havana from New York, Atlanta, Miami and Orlando will provide customers with convenient travel options to the Cuban capitol.”
Delta would serve the flights from Atlanta and JFK with the Boeing 757-200, and Miami and Orlando with the Boeing 737-800.
“We look forward to providing access to the island from the U.S. and around the world,” said Nicolas Ferri, Delta’s Vice President for Latin America and the Caribbean. “If approved, these frequencies would increase the strength of our network, advancing Delta’s goal to be the best U.S. airline in Latin America and the Caribbean.”
Last year, the US and Cuba reached a bilateral agreement to establish scheduled air services between the two countries. The bilateral agreement will provides for both countries to offer up to 20 daily roundtrip flights per day between US cities and Havana, along with up to 10 daily roundtrip flights between the United States and each of Cuba’s nine other international airports. That means the opportunities for US carriers to operate up to 110 daily flights between the US and Cuba; the agreement does not affect charter service, which has been operating for some time.
