US, Cuba agree to restore regular commercial flights

State Department officials announced the aviation deal Thursday, a year after President Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro began the process of restoring diplomatic ties. US companies would export a wide range of goods including telecommunications equipment. “Everyone is pushing in the same direction to get this launched soon”.

Under the deal, airlines from both countries will be able to make commercial agreements such as sharing flight codes and leasing planes to each other, it said. “Our years of experience in Cuba and unmatched customer experience positions JetBlue as the carrier of choice for travel to Cuba”. Those traveling from Boston most commonly take a connecting flight to Cuba from John F. Kennedy International Airport in NY, according to travel website TripAdvisor.

Once-fierce foes the United States and Cuba have agreed to restore scheduled commercial flights for the first time in more than five decades.

There will be some delay until travelers can book commercial flights to Cuba.

Americans still can’t go as tourists, but they travel under 12 special categories, including humanitarian, religious and educational trips, and “people-to-people” trips that encourage communication between US and Cuban citizens.

US airline carriers welcomed Thursday’s announcement and said they are eager to resume regularly scheduled service.

It is not known when the first Cuba-bound flights will take off.

“Change does not happen overnight, and normalization will be a long journey”, he added. We don’t work to celebrate anniversaries. “Over the next year, we will continue on this path, empowering Cubans and Americans to lead the way”.

Obama wants Congress to lift the economic embargo on Cuba. “In contrast I have to say that in the area of economy and commerce the results are barely visible”. 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.

“Sadly, President Obama continues to place politics above common sense policy, making our country less safe, and less secure, as he fails to hold the Castro regime accountable”, Lopez-Cantera concluded. At the same time, the improved public Wi-Fi availability in Cuba and eased travel restrictions for Cuban-Americans mean that contact between the island and Cuban communities in the United States now is much like that for other immigrant communities from around the hemisphere. That is a key issue for the United States in advancing relations but Havana says it is a matter of national sovereignty.

“We are really pleased about the opportunity to engage in scheduled service sometime in 2016 between the United States and Cuba”, said Howard Kass, the airline’s vice president of regulatory affairs.

The governments of Cuba and the United States have announced that they intend to reopen flights between the two countries in an attempt to bridge differences and pursue bettered bilateral ties.

“There are a lot of businesses that would like to see Cuba open up”.

“It was very good news for my business”, said Vladimir Zamora, 32, who runs a restaurant in the historic district of Havana.