US Reaches Aviation Deal With Cuba

A lot and nothing has changed, depending on who you ask and where you stand on what is an emotional topic for many, especially in South Florida.

China and Japan have been among the most coveted restricted markets during the past two decades, with USA airlines aggressively bidding on new routes as they’ve become available to those nations. “Everyone is pushing in the same direction to get this launched soon”.

Meanwhile, the United States and Cuba announced a deal Thursday that would allow as many as 110 regular airline flights a day between the two countries. That has led to a boom in US citizens’ visits to Cuba, which are up 71 percent this year, with 138,120 Americans arriving over the first 11 months.

JetBlue and United, which also fly charters to Cuba from those two cities, are also chomping at the bit to begin all-out service to the island.

The U.S. Department of State did announce today an agreement to resume commercial air flights between Cuba and the United States.

Obama relaxed travel restrictions to Cuba earlier this year.

Thirty more flights a day would more than double current USA air traffic to Cuba but it may take years to reach that number.

Cuba’s embassy in Washington said in a statement on the airline deal that the countries reiterated their commitment to flight security and to protecting civil aviation “from acts of unlawful interference”.

Observing that change does not happen overnight, and normalisation will be a long journey, Obama said in the last 12 months, however, are a reminder of the progress “we can make when we set” the course toward a better future.

“When we said goodbye, we said goodbye forever”. These include the billions of dollars in competing property claims, the status of fugitives in both countries, and Cuban protection of human rights. News last week, Obama said he would like to visit Cuba next year, the last of his presidency, but only if he can meet with political dissidents. By July they had agreed to restore diplomatic ties after a 54-year break.

It seems nearly certain that Cuban officials will allow new USA flights slowly in order to make sure the government can handle the increase in travel.

The charter flights will continue under the new agreement and scheduled flights for non-tourist purposes will begin, according to the U.S. statement.

But some analysts warn the island’s state bureaucracy combined with the lingering trade embargo are still holding Cuba back. Pressure on that front could move the needle in Congress, which alone has the authority to dissolve the embargo. The United States and Cuba have reached an un… “I haven’t seen products in the stores”, said Paloma Suarez, a 50-year-old office worker in a state-run company in Old Havana. The GOP generally opposes Mr. Obama’s policy. “Because the Obama administration awarded these renewed relations without demanding anything in return”, she adds, “the USA has lost its position of leverage”.