No decision made on U.S. commercial flights to Cuba: State Dept

Flying to Cuba will be getting easier for Angelenos.

The administration is also pushing to loosen the restrictions on travel to the country, which currently include such items as business dealings, to visit family, or to pursue cultural exchange, the WSJ noted, or what is known as people-to-people travel. “We will continue to deliver a high quality travel experience and opening up new West Coast access to Cuba will bring a convenient, affordable option to authorized travelers”. “If they do that and it’s possible to book an ordinary flight instead of go on a charter, lots more people would go to Cuba“.

Secretary of State John Kerry said last week during the flag-raising ceremony at the U.S. embassy in Havana that travel by Americans to Cuba has increased 35 percent since January. An embargo remains in place against Cuba and can only be lifted by Congress.

The White House and State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. But according to the Journal, Obama has executive authority to grant exceptions, which he did in December when he announced Americans could use credit and debit cards in Cuba and expanded commercial sales and exports between Havana and the U.S.

“We are interested in providing scheduled service from multiple U.S. cities as soon as legally permitted”, Doug McGraw, a company spokesman, said in an email.

There are dozens of flights each week between Cuba and the U.S., but they are all charter flights.

“Now it is easier to travel to Cuba and we believe the demand will be much greater”, he said. American plans to offer another Saturday charter flight from Miami to Havana. Stephanie Stoughton contributed from Washington.