By R.J. McIntyre ’18
United States airlines have until Wednesday, March 2nd to submit their proposals to the United States Department of Transportation in order to establish flights to Cuba. The Department of Transportation is allowing for as many as 110 daily flights to Cuba. Department of Transportation officials suspect that such a limit will create fierce competition between airlines in order to reestablish a destination that has been banned since the embargo was initiated in 1962.
Transportation secretary Anthony Foxx stated that the Department of Transportation will strategically select airlines that maximize accessibility to the public. Foxx also clarified that not all 110 flights will be serviced by the same airline and that the Department of Transportation will do its best to establish many destinations across the entire United States.
According to one Department of Transportation official, flights could possibly be allocated to airlines as soon as early this summer.
Many believe that the establishment of regular flights to Cuba is a great step in reestablishing a better relationship between the two countries. In an interview with CNN, Foxx stated, “It really means a great deal to the people of both countries. Leaving aside the political differences, there’s so many cultural connections between the two countries.” Soon, Foxx and his political team will fly from D.C. to Havana to formally sign the new transportation agreement.
Despite the great optimism of the Department of Transportation, there are still many limitations set in place. The Office of Foreign Assets (OFAC) is going to award travel licenses to certain people that fall under at least one of 12 categories. The categories range from providing humanitarian aid to visiting a close relative. According to OFAC, “the traveler’s schedule of activities must not include free time or recreation in excess of that consistent with a full-time schedule in Cuba.” In other words, tourism is still banned. In addition to the aforementioned limitations set in place by OFAC, the U.S. government has no future plans to allow Cuban airlines to establish destinations in the United States.
