U.S. budget airline JetBlue Airways Corp (JBLU.O) said on Thursday it would launch scheduled commercial flights from the United States to Cuba on Aug. 31, ahead of competitors that have also announced departure dates.
The former Cold War foes agreed last year to restore regular airline services after more than five decades as part of a broader detente in which they also resumed diplomatic ties.
U.S. travel to Cuba was long an expensive and complicated endeavor. Given a U.S. ban on tourism to the island, most Americans could visit only as part of an organized group tour.
Even when U.S. President Barack Obama eased travel rules earlier this year, allowing Americans to travel independently to Cuba for educational, cultural and other authorized purposes, they still had to travel on chartered planes.
But from Aug. 31, JetBlue will launch thrice-weekly flights between the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Santa Clara airport, with fares starting at $99 one-way.
The airline will upgrade this service to daily flights from Oct.1, also offering daily flights from Fort Lauderdale to Camaguey from Nov.3 and to Holguin from Nov. 10.
Silver Airways is set to be the second U.S. airline to operate flights from the United States to Cuba, launching service from Fort Lauderdale to Santa Clara on Sept. 1.
Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-cuba-usa-travel-idUSKCN1082UG?il=0