U.S.,Cuba to Resume Regular Flights

Scheduled commercial flight service had been suspended for decades as a result of Cold War animosity, although charter flights connected the countries in the interim.

(AP Photo/Desmond Boylan). Backdropped by pictures of Cuba’s President Raul Castro, former Cuban leader Fidel Castro, center, and rebel leader Ernesto Che Guevara giving a speech at the United Nations in 1964, Josefina Vidal, director general of the U…

Some details still need to be worked out and USA planes won’t be landing in Cuba immediately.

Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama today called for the lifting of the US embargo against Cuba. While the majority of US travelers are Cuban-Americans, there has been a sharp rise in Americans traveling for specially authorized purposes, particularly on educational tours known as people-to-people travel. Experts say it will probably be three to six months before USA carriers can begin selling tickets to Cuba. Officials from both countries said they had reached an understanding on key points and hope to announce a formal deal within days.

The US reopened its embassy in Havana in August after a 54-year absence. Now the prohibition on wearing USA flags is no longer in…

The U.S. has expressed disappointment with what it calls Cuba’s unwillingness to cooperate with executive actions such as allowing U.S. exports to the Cuban private sector and sales of equipment to the Cuban state telecommunications company.

For travel agents, the agreement further opens a destination that agents describe as a time-warp trip into a rich and vibrant culture, though one that is not quite up to the standards many high-end travelers expect.

Thomas Engle, the U.S. State Department’s deputy assistant secretary for transportation affairs, told the Associated Press that the deal allows for up to 30 flights per day, which would more than double the current number of charter flights allowed.

“I haven’t seen more commerce, really”.

Tourists in Old Havana, on December 16, 2015.