US, Cuba agree on restoring commercial flights

Major U.S. airlines including JetBlue Airways Corp, American Airlines Group Inc, Delta Air Lines Inc and United Continental Holdings Inc have all expressed interest in scheduled service to Cuba.

The United States and Cuba have reached an understanding on restoring commercial airline travel between the two countries, officials from both sides told the Associated Press.

The development is the latest in a thawing of ties between Cuba and the U.S. The two countries opened mutual embassies in Havana and Washington D.C back in July. It’s unclear if those flights would completely replace charters, but they appear certain to create a surge in travel that would place heavy strain on Cuba’s already overstrained tourist infrastructure.

Even when the formal deal is struck it could still take several more months for Cuba to negotiate terms of operation with US airlines before flights can begin.

The newsbrokehoursbefore the December 17, 2014 anniversary of CubanPresidentRaul Castro and U.S. PresidentBarackObamaannouncing the beginning of the normalization in relationsbetween the two countries. Those flying sometimes must arrive at the airport four hours in advance and strict baggage limits apply.

Obama loosened travel restrictions to Cuba earlier this year in executive actions aimed at relaxing economic embargos. 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. Approved American travel to the island is up 50 % this yr, Jeffrey DeLaurentis, who heads the US …

Thursday is one-year anniversary of the announcement by Presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro that they were ending a half-century of US-Cuban hostility.

The U.S. Secretaries of State, Commerce and Agriculture and the Cuban-born Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security have all made official visits to start discussions on unsexy but vital technical matters like produce inspection and port regulations.

But officials with knowledge of the agreement say Cuba is making arrangements to lease aircraft for Cubana or share the route in order to offer USA flights from Havana without exposing its planes to seizure.

The market would grow further if the U.S. Congress were to lift either the tourism ban or the embargo.

News last week, President Obama said he would like to visit Cuba next year, the last of his presidency, but only if he can meet with political dissidents.