Delta will begin daily service to Havana, Cuba, from Atlanta, Miami and New York–JFK on Dec. 1, 2016, following today’s announcement by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).
Flights will be available for sale beginning Sept. 10, 2016. All routes are subject to Cuban regulatory approval.
On June 10, 2016, the DOT issued an order authorizing six U.S. airlines to provide scheduled passenger flights between various U.S. cities and cities in Cuba other than Havana. Today, the DOT announced the various Havana routes.
In a related development, today JetBlue flight 387 from Ft Lauderdale to Santa Clara, Cuba marked the first scheduled flight between the U.S. and Cuba since October 1962.
“Today, we celebrate our long-awaited and historic return to Cuba, and we reaffirm our thanks to Secretary Foxx and his team as well as the U.S. State Department for granting us the authority to operate this service,” said Nicolas Ferri, V.P. – Latin America and the Caribbean. “This December, we look forward to serving customers with the excellent customer service and operational performance they expect from Delta while reuniting families and supporting a new generation of travelers seeking to engage and explore this unique destination.”
Delta’s Awarded Routes
Delta flights between New York-JFK and Havana will connect the New York City area, home to the second largest Cuban-American population, to Cuba’s political, cultural and economic capital.
Delta’s Miami-Havana flights will serve the largest population of Cuban-Americans in the U.S. Delta is the second-largest carrier at Miami International Airport by number of daily flights.
Delta Vacations, Delta’s official vacation provider, will offer Cuba travel packages later this year for customers who prefer to bundle their Cuba experience.
Americans can travel to Cuba only if their trip falls within one of 12 designated categories outlined here, including family visits, educational activities, religious activities, humanitarian projects, professional research and professional meetings and others.
Delta’s History in Cuba
Delta inherited passenger service to Havana, Cuba, from its merger with Chicago and Southern Air Lines (C&S) on May 1, 1953, offering nonstop flights from New Orleans. Delta suspended service on Dec. 1, 1961.
From 2002-2004 Delta operated charters between New York-JFK and Havana. In October 2011, Delta began operating up to a dozen charter flights to Havana per week with daily service from Miami and weekly service from Atlanta and New York-JFK. It operated almost 500 trips before suspending service on Dec. 29, 2012. Most recently, Delta operated three ad hoc charter flights in 2015, including one that carried the Minnesota Orchestra back to Cuba for its first performance on the island in more than 85 years.
