Flights to Cuba: The Next Frontier for Delta Air Lines

Flights to Cuba from Miami International Airport (MIA) will launch through Delta Air Lines on April 10, 2023. That will give the legacy carrier two daily nonstop flights to Havana. 

Last month, both United and Delta state that they were having difficulties re-establishing service to Havana despite having been working on it for months. United was to restart service by December 1 and Delta by March 26 at the latest, according to USDOT. 

Previously, United operate seven flights each week between its hubs in Houston and Newark and Havana. It state in September that it must “undertake major effort” to “build out necessary infrastructure in Terminal 3 at Havana’s airport where United is being relocate, re-negotiate several contracts with service suppliers that have expire.”

In June, USDOT relaxed restrictions on travel to Cuba put in place by the previous administration of Donald Trump. This included lifting a ban on American airlines flying to minor airports in Cuba. American Airlines was given approval in July to restore service to a few minor airports in Cuba.

Flights to Cuba

According to publishes reports, Delta is now authorize to operate 21 flights to Cuba per week from the U.S., 14 of which will depart from Miami and 7 from Atlanta. During the COVID-19 epidemic, Delta halte the flights, with early plans to resume Miami flights. 

However, it “requires further time to ensure reintroduction of safe, efficient, and sustainable service to Havana,” said a statement from Delta. 

In order to re-establish the IT infrastructure requires to serve passenger needs in Havana, Delta estimates that it might take up to six months. Additionally, it has “ongoing difficulty in acquiring permits for workers to fly to Cuba” for both pre- and post-launch staffing. 

The Biden administration decides to increase U.S. flights to Havana last month. In addition to the regular six daily American Airlines flights and three weekday JetBlue flights from Florida airports to Havana, there will now be 13 weekly departures from Miami on American Airlines (AAL.O) and one weekly departure from Fort Lauderdale on JetBlue Airways (JBLU.O). 

Results

As a result of this reactivation, passengers flying through Miami will have access to 203 nonstop flights per week at 10 American airports.

Delta’s Airbus A320-base flights will provide First Class, Delta Comfort+, or Main Cabin seating options. First Class passengers will be able to indulge in a variety of sweets and libations, such as Du Nord vodka, Thrive Farmers Tea, and Kate’s Real Food Lemon Coconut bars. Customers of Comfort+ and Main Cabin can also savor a delightful treat like Biscoff cookies.

On flights to Cuba from Miami, all passengers can take advantage of the complimentary Delta Studio service, which offers on-demand inflight entertainment as well as curated content from Peloton and Spotify. 

Starting April 10, Delta’s new MIA-HAV service will operate as follows:

Flights to Cuba: What to Know

1. Prior to departing, you must declare a “category.”  Although it is still officially impossible for Americans to travel to Cuba for “tourism”-relates reasons, there are 11 alternative options for your vacation. Family visits, journalism, charitable endeavors, participation in religion, and support for the Cuban people fall under these categories. To that end, there are several methods to genuinely benefit the Cuban people when visiting: Visit live music or dance performances, buy local crafts, use local tour guides, and stay in casa particulares, or private accommodation or homestay. 

2. Obtain a tourist card for Cuba. A Cuban Tourist Card is similarl to a visa and is requires for Americans who want to visit to Cuba. The item is widely available for purchase and can also be purchased directly from the airline, either at the departure gate or in advance online. Fees are high – at least $50 and may come with a handling charge. 

3. English is not widely spoken Cuba. To help with translation, apps can useful but know that Cuba only has one government-run internet service provider, ETECSA. The good news is the country has built up some 1,000 WiFi hotspots with the majority in Havana and hotels may offer internet as well. There is no Internet connectivity in private residences. 

Last Thing

Visitors to Havana can buy an ETECSA WiFi card for about $1 per hour of use from ETECSA offices and hotels (where the price will be much higher–  $2 to $10 hour by some accounts). Travelers with AT&T or Verizon as carriers may be able to text or make calls in Cuba, but roaming fees for Internet may be prohibitive. Also note, many websites and social media platforms are restricted in Cuba. 

4. Keep a wad of cash. Not surprisingly, U.S. bank credit and debit cards are not widely uses or accepts in Cuba. Cuba needs the mighty dollar and therefore keeps a closed currency system, so travelers are not able to exchange US dollars for Cuban pesos arrival. However, pocket cash will be easy to exchange once in Cuba. Tours, hotels and other travel arrangements may prebook ahead of time using credit cards. 

High end hotel options in Havana include: 

• Saratoga Hotel
• Hotel Nacional de Cuba
• Melia Habana
• NH Capri La Habana
• Four Points by Sheraton Havana

*** Photos by Ilene Perlman ***