JetBlue expands U.S.-Cuba service ahead of expected travel opening

JetBlue expands U.S.-Cuba service ahead of expected travel opening

HAVANA (Reuters) - U.S. airline JetBlue will add a second charter flight
from New York's John F. Kennedy airport to Havana, expanding charter
service ahead of an expected opening of commercial air travel between
the two countries, the company said on Monday.

The new round-trip, non-stop flight will operate every Tuesday starting
Dec. 1 in partnership with Cuba Travel Services, a travel provider
licensed by the U.S. government to arrange flights to Cuba.

The two companies currently operate one of two other JFK-to-Havana
charter flights. Several other charter flights take passengers to Cuba
from Florida.

Under new rules initiated by U.S. President Barack Obama in January a
month after he announced detente with the former Cold War adversary,
U.S. airlines are permitted to fly to Cuba without the need for special
permission from the Treasury Department.

However, U.S. and Cuban officials first need to negotiate a new civil
aviation agreement.

Representatives of both countries are scheduled to hold aviation talks
on Monday and Tuesday in Havana.

Normal airline service was interrupted by the U.S. trade embargo imposed
on Cuba in 1962.

U.S. tourism to Cuba is still banned but certain U.S. citizens and
Cuban-Americans are allowed to go on specially sanctioned travel, which
has been further relaxed by Obama, creating a larger market for U.S.
travel to the Communist-governed island.

The Cuba travel market is expected to grow further should the United
States lift either the tourism ban or the embargo. Legislation proposing
both is pending in the U.S. Congress.

(Reporting by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)

Source: JetBlue expands U.S.-Cuba service ahead of expected travel
opening - Yahoo News -
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