CheapAir.com offering direct flights between U.S. and Cuba

CheapAir.com offering direct flights between U.S. and Cuba
BY HANNAH SAMPSON HSAMPSON@MIAMIHERALD.COM
04/15/2015 5:00 AM 04/15/2015 9:00 AM

CheapAir.com, which started piecing together commercial flights between
the United States and Cuba with stops in Mexico earlier this year, plans
to start offering direct charter flights to authorized travelers on
Wednesday.

The online travel agency will offer direct flights from New York's John
F. Kennedy International Airport and Tampa International Airport to
Havana. From Miami, travelers can book direct flights to Havana,
Santiago de Cuba, Santa Clara, Camaguey, Cienfuegos and Holguin. Miami
flights will operate daily, while Tampa trips will take place on Sundays
and Thursdays and New York flights are scheduled for Tuesdays.

Flights will be operated by charter company Cuba Travel Services. In the
past, travelers had to book direct charter flights through an authorized
charter operator or or airline broker. CheapAir says it is the first
online travel agency to offer direct flights between the two countries.

Passengers still must certify that they fall into one of 12 categories
of authorized travel, including educational activities, athletic
competitions or people-to-people programs. The U.S. Treasury Department
no longer requires those citizens to apply for a specific license when
visiting Cuba. Regulations became less stringent in January after
President Barack Obama announced the month before that he wanted to ease
travel restrictions to the island.

On Tuesday, Obama called for Cuba to be removed from a list of nations
that are state sponsors of terrorism.

Source: CheapAir.com offering direct flights between U.S. and Cuba |
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