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US-Cuba air routes in flux as carriers opt out

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Mimi Whitefield -
Air travel to Cuba is in flux with some US carriers dropping out of competition for routes and others hoping to win approval for additional flights to the island.
But there’s still keen interest in South Florida routes to Havana, and Miami International Airport has become the most important gateway for commercial air travel to Cuba.
The most recent carrier to fall by the wayside in the competition for Cuba routes is FedEx. After asking the Department of Transportation (DOT) for three extensions on its start date for cargo and mail flights that would fly five times weekly between Miami and Matanzas, FedEx told DOT in December it was no longer interested in the route and was returning its flight frequencies while it “evaluates alternative all-cargo service options to Cuba”.
Southwest Airlines also told DOT in late December it was no longer interested in adding a second daily route from Tampa to Havana; it preferred to concentrate on winning approval to begin service to Hawaii.
“Given that focus and overall capacity constraints, Southwest is unfortunately not in a position to apply for the US-Cuba frequency at this time,” said Dallas-based Southwest in a DOT filing.
Southwest was initially interested in picking up a second Tampa route after American Airlines announced last year it planned to end its Charlotte, North Carolina-Havana service because of low volume.
Instead of returning the flight frequency to DOT, thus allowing other airlines to bid for it, American asked DOT if it could shift its North Carolina-Havana route to a noon-time flight from Miami, which would give American six daily Miami-Havana flights.
In its DOT filing, American cited “persistently strong demand” for additional Miami-Havana service.
However, American ran into opposition to that plan — initially from Southwest but also from JetBlue. Before deciding to concentrate on launching its Hawaiian service, Southwest wanted DOT to award it the Charlotte frequency so it could add the second daily flight from Tampa to Havana.
Many carriers assumed the opening towards Cuba that began under Barack Obama would continue. But US-Cuba relations have cooled during the Trump administration with a stiffening of business and travel regulations and expected demand didn’t materialise.
A number of airlines that were awarded routes by DOT have dropped service to some provincial airports in Cuba and from new US markets. — dpa



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