Cuba DESTINATIONS
CUBA The MoU authorises airlines of each
country to operate up to 20 daily scheduled frequencies between the US and Havana and up to 10 daily frequencies to any other airport in the country (Camaguey, Cayo Coco, Cayo Largo, Cienfuegos, Holguin, Manzanillo, Matanzas, Santa Clara and Santiago de Cuba). It also permits unlimited charter services to and from any point in Cuba, in accordance with the regulations of each country. The agreement includes a framework for
an increase of frequencies in the future and calls on each country to provide “prompt and thorough consideration” to any request in accordance with the needs of the market and airport infrastructure. Nor does it prejudice aircraft operation with no limit on the capacity of aircraft deployed in this market.
Although tourist travel from the US to Cuba is banned, the agreement facilitates travel that falls into 12 certain categories including family visits, journalist trips and public performances. And as any city in the US and Cuba can be served, many of the routes proposed by airlines in their DOT applications overlap and create competition. Unsurprisingly, most of the proposed routes are to serve the Cuban capital of Havana, with a heavy bias towards the Florida coast, where there is a large Cuban community. American Airlines is leading the way and seeking to provide 12 of the permitted 20 daily flights to José Martí International Airport in Havana, including 10 daily frequencies from its hub in Miami. The likelihood of American obtaining so many slots from Miami is slim, as other carriers have applied for the same pairing. The US regulator is likely to work to balance supply and demand. It will have to try to ensure that there is ample service from the regions that generate the most demand for travel to Cuba; as the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach area is home to the largest population of Cuban-Americans, this service is likely to be served by numerous carriers. But at the same time the regulator will seek to maximise competition for customers and
provide some geographical diversity in its network selection. American faces competition for the Miami slots from Frontier Airlines, which is hoping to provide three daily flights on this route, as well as adding a single daily rotation from Denver to its network. Charter carrier Eastern Airlines is also planning to offer a daily Miami – Havana service.
JetBlue Airways, which has grown
strongly in the Caribbean, has applied for a total of 15 daily frequencies, reaching four Cuban cities from six US destinations. From its main base in New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, JetBlue wants to provide two daily frequencies to Havana. It is also planning to fly one daily rotation to the Cuban capital from Newark Liberty International and Boston Logan.
Focus on Florida However, again showing the strong bias to the Florida market, the majority of JetBlue’s proposed service will come from the state – with potential services from its Fort Lauderdale focus city to Havana four times a day, and Camaguey, Holguin and Santa Clara on a daily basis. It also plans to link Havana with both Orlando and Tampa on a twice daily basis. Should the airline be allocated these slots, JetBlue anticipates a start date of September 8, 2016, or within 100 days after receipt of all necessary approvals – whichever is earlier. Dynamic Airlines has applied for less than daily scheduled frequency allocations to Havana from New York, which would be served three times a week, as well as Chicago and Los Angeles, which would be served four times a week. Should the allocations be awarded to
Dynamic, the airline will use wide-bodied Boeing 767-300 equipment on the routes, with the ability to carry 280 passengers in an all-economy cabin. The proposed start date for the Chicago O’Hare service is November 21, 2016, with New York and Los Angeles services commencing a day later. Delta Air Lines is hoping to expand its network by serving Havana from four key cities in the US – its hubs in Atlanta, w
routesonline.com ROUTES NEWS 2016 ISSUE 3 47
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