Regular air connections between the United States and Cuba will register a 20% drop in September compared to August.
This figure was “expected considering the end of the summer period,” during which, according to the website Aviacionline, three U.S. airlines operated a total of 91 weekly flights.
The specialized site also points out that the year-on-year comparison would also show a 21% drop in the number of frequencies and a 16.1% drop in seat availability.
The data was obtained through the Cirium Diio tool and, the source emphasizes, shows that American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines are the carriers supporting the shuttle service.
Most of these operations are concentrated in the state of Florida, specifically from the airports in Miami and Tampa.
American Airlines, which has positioned itself as the leading operator in this market with 70 weekly flights, has pledged to cut its flights in a matter of days, according to another source.
Along with this airline, executives at United and Southwest have taken steps to cut certain services to the island, which, according to the Cuba Trade website, will affect travelers within days.
Despite these announcements, American Airlines has no plans to abandon the Cuban market, as indicated by documents reviewed by The U.S. Sun, although it reports a request to the Department of Transportation for a temporary exemption of inactivity to cover the winter season.
American Airlines connects its Miami hub with six destinations in Cuba: Havana, Camagüey, Holguín, Santa Clara, Santiago de Cuba and Varadero. The route between Miami and Havana is the busiest, with 39 weekly frequencies, according to Aviacionline.
Delta Air Lines also offers 14 weekly flights between Miami and Havana, providing 2,240 seats. Southwest Airlines adds a daily service to Havana from Tampa, which translates to seven flights and 1,225 seats each week.
Meanwhile, politicians such as Cuban-American Congressman Carlos Giménez and Florida Senator Rick Scott are urging the Trump administration to once again restrict flights to Cuba, which would constitute a new step in the policy of pressure against the island’s government, the consequences of which ordinary Cubans continue to bear.
As a U.S. citizen, I have traveled to Cuba over 40 times since my first trip in 1994. In 1995 I was approved by the Cuban Ministry of Education to teach U.S. History (in English) to 30 third year English majors at the University of Matanzas. In December of 2000, I led the North Carolina Department of Agriculture’s delegation of 40 leading agribusiness leaders to Cuba and assisted the Cuban Chamber of Commerce plan the delegations agenda.
The U.S. Embargo is a failure. Its purpose over 60 years ago was to bring an end to Cuba’s communist political & economic system. Now, due to this failed embargo, China has established a strong military and economic presence just 90 miles away from the U.S.!
Trump’s return to hard core embargo policies only sets back efforts for the movements of groups within Cuba to move forward toward making positive changes for a more Vietnam-like system which would benefit ordinary Cuban citizens.
Constructive engagement is the best approach forward for the people of Cuba. I had the good fortune to meet and form a friendship with the late Wayne Smith, president Carter’s representative to reopen dialogue with Cuba and reopen the U.S. Embassy in Havana. Smith’s diplomatic skills were successful in reestablishing a working relationship with the Cuban system.
The Cubans are a proud people! They will never be bullied into submission – to once again be dominated by a foreign power.