The US airline JetBlue will suspend all connections to the island on September 17, due to “changes in the regulatory landscape and restrictions on the ability of our clients to enter Cuba,” according to a company statement released by CNN this Thursday.
“We hope to resume our service to Havana and continue looking for opportunities within Cuba in case travel becomes more affordable in the future,” the company added.
The airline also announced that it will provide “automated full refunds to customers affected by the suspension.”
Ceasing to operate in Cuba, JetBlue assured, will make it possible to focus connections with routes with “higher performance” and where the service “is growing.”
The JetBlue airline was the first to operate a commercial flight between the two countries in 2016 after more than 50 years of bans on traveling to Cuba from the US. The air connection was a symbol of the thaw between the two nations, which restored diplomatic relations in July 2015.
“We look forward to resuming our service to Havana and continuing to look for opportunities within Cuba should travel become more affordable in the future”
Since 2022, there have been several cases of Cubans residing on the island who have been prevented from flying from the US. The Havana regime has notified airlines such as American Airlines and Southwest that some citizens cannot enter the country, as was the case case of the activists Anamely Ramos and Omara Ruiz Urquiola, who were not allowed to board their return flights.
Tourism to the island has not been able to recover after the pandemic either and American travelers have opted for other destinations in the area, such as Cancun, in Mexico, and the Dominican Republic, due to the economic crisis that is plaguing Cuba, the high prices of their packages tourism and problems in basic infrastructure such as roads, shops and internet connectivity.
A 14 intervene Innumerable testimonies have arrived of flights that leave or arrive on the Island practically empty on the routes that link Cuban and American cities.
Last September, JetBlue had submitted a request to increase its number of flights to Cuba with the US Department of Transportation, obtaining 14 connections from South Florida.
Just in: @JetBlue -the company that flew the first direct commercial flight to Cuba during the thaw in relations- has suspended flights to the island due to “changes to the regulatory landscape and restrictions on our customers’ ability to enter Cuba.” pic.twitter.com/EkuDGHQaYj
— Patrick Oppmann CNN (@CNN_Oppmann) August 31, 2023
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