USDOT reveals tentative awards for U.S.-Havana flights

The U.S. Department of Transportation has proposed a selection of eight U.S. airlines to start scheduled flights from various airports around the United States to Havana, Cuba this fall.    The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) today has proposed a selection of eight U.S. airlines to start scheduled flights from various airports around the United States to Havana, Cuba this fall.
   About a dozen U.S. airlines applied to operate scheduled passenger and cargo services to Havana after an aviation deal between the United States and Cuba was reached in response to restoration of diplomatic relations in July 2015.
   “Collectively, the airlines applied for nearly 60 flights per day to Havana, exceeding the 20 daily flights made available by arrangement between the two governments,” DOT said.
   The airlines receiving the tentative awards are Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines and United Airlines. The Havana-bound flights are expected to operate from Atlanta, Charlotte, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, New York City, Orlando and Tampa.
   DOT said its “principal objective in making its proposed selections was to maximize public benefits, including choosing airlines that offered and could maintain the best ongoing service between the U.S. and Havana.”
   Under the U.S.-Cuba aviation arrangement, each country may operate up to 20 daily roundtrip flights between the U.S. and Havana. It also provides each country with the opportunity to operate up to 10 daily roundtrip flights between the U.S. and each of Cuba’s nine international airports, other than Havana, for a total of 90 daily roundtrips. DOT announced the approval of six U.S. airlines’ applications to serve cities other than Havana on June 10.
   Objections to the DOT’s tentative decision for those airlines to serve Havana are due by July 22. If objections are filed, answers to objections will be due by July 29. DOT said it expects to reach a final decision later this summer.