Airlines race to Cuba, overcoming major hurdles

The routes will operate from five U.S. airports, including Miami, fort Lauderdale and Chicago, to nine Cuban cities excluding Havana which is still under consideration with the DoT.

As part of “normalizing” relations with Cuba, six USA airlines will be allowed to begin scheduled flights to Cuba this fall, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said on Friday.

In addition to Sun Country, the U.S. Department of Transportation approved flights by American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Silver Airways and Southwest Airlines.

For more business news, visit Philadelphia Business Journal. A decision on Havana routes is expected later this summer.

In a March filing, American said it should be granted half of the 20 available Miami-Havana flights because “no airline has proposed an allocation more tailored to demand and traffic than American”. The nine Cuban cities are Camagüey, Cayo Coco, Cayo Largo, Cienfuegos, Holguín, Manzanillo, Matanzas, Santa Clara, and Santiago de Cuba.

The US Department of Transportation approved the first phase scheduled air services to Cuba, with six carriers getting the routes they requested.

The department said seven U.S. airlines applied to provide service to other Cuban cities. The Fort Worth, Texas-based airline has also been flying on behalf of charter companies for the longest time, since 1991.

Cuba’s worldwide landing fee in Havana’s is $4.89 per metric ton of aircraft. Last year, it saw 18 percent more passengers than in 2014, according to government aviation officials. Commercial airlines will probably offer flights for significantly less, although none has publicly discussed pricing.

The DOT deferred Eastern Airways’ application as it is licensed only as a chartered carrier after missing regulatory deadlines.