Cuba is one of the most interesting countries in South America that some travelers wish to visit. It has a very rich culture and history despite the political tensions it has with the United States. Flights to the country are available, but a new announcement may change all that.

Flights Banned from the US

On Friday, the US Department of Transportation announced that all US flights to Cuba except those to Havana are banned. This is in line to the latest crackdowns on the country after the Cuban government’s support for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The US, according to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a letter to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, also discovered that there are cases where Cubans were repressed by its government. This prompted the flight bans to the country.

The ban will go into effect on December 10.

Currently, American Airlines and JetBlue have flights to various cities in Cuba aside from Havana. With the ban, both airlines will close their flights to these cities aside from their Havana routes.

JetBlue said in their official statement on Friday that they will be adhering to the new policy and make the necessary arrangements for their clients. American Airlines have also released a statement and said they are reviewing the announcement. American Airlines has 11 daily flights to Cuba and six of them are in Havana.

This is not the first time the Trump administration gave restrictions to Cuba. In June, the Department of Treasury and the State Department said educational and cultural trips to Cuba are no longer ok. They say that these trips will only fund the Cuban military and continue its oppression on the people.

Last year, the State Department also added 26 tourist attractions which is not available to American travelers visiting the country. They also banned several hotels, shops and marinas in the list.

While there are US sanctions on Cuba, it is still ok to visit the country. However, the sanctions and restrictions have affected the number of American tourists who wish to see the country.

Cuba Travel Tips

If you wish to visit Cuba, you can check out Cuba Travel’s Tourism Portal for information about the country’s tourist attractions. You may also check with your local Cuban Embassy to see what you need for visa documents and other travel information.

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Europe is not an easy place to visit because of its very expensive flights. Several airlines know how important it is to have affordable flights in the region. With JetBlue and Norwegian, their newest partnership may change the game for affordable flights from the Americas to Europe.

Europe Flights

On Thursday, JetBlue and Norwegian Air announced that they will be partnering to make transfers easy for both airlines. When passengers book flights, they can easily find a flight that will bring them to their next destination.

The partnership has a launch date of summer 2020, but travelers who wish to book these flights can start booking for early next year.

For travelers located in US cities not covered by Norwegian, they can connect to the Norwegian network by using JetBlue. Meanwhile, those from Europe can use Norwegian to access JetBlue’s 60 US and 40 Caribbean and Latin American destinations easily.

Norwegian said that they will be increasing their European flights as part of the summer 2020 program.

When talking about the new partnerhsip, Norwegian’s Acting CEO and Chief Financial Officer Geir Karlsen said:

“We are very excited to partner with JetBlue as this will make international travel even smoother and more available for our customers. JetBlue is the largest airline at several of our key gateways in the United States, specifically New York JFK, Boston and Fort Lauderdale, and this partnership will create a plethora of new route connections for customers on both sides of the Atlantic.”

Meanwhile, JetBlue’s CEO Robin Hayes said: “This new agreement with Norwegian seamlessly connects JetBlue’s robust network throughout the U.S., Caribbean and Latin America with the exciting European destinations on our new partner’s route map.” 

“Norwegian shares our belief that customers benefit when we can bring competition and low fares to the transatlantic market currently dominated by joint ventures, legacy alliances and sky-high ticket prices,” he adds.

What Else is Happening with JetBlue and Norwegian?

Aside from the partnership with Norwegian, the US airline is also working on a low-cost transatlantic service to London. They plan to open the route by 2021. The airline said they are adding new planes to support its new route which has a new cabin and pricing.

Meanwhile, Norwegian launched their latest nonstop service between New York and Athens, Chicago and Barcelona, Boston to Madrid or Rome and Miami or San Francisco to London. There are also changes when it comes to the Barcelona and Paris flights from the US. The flights will now be available from San Francisco International Airport instead of Oakland International Airport.

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