Earlier this year, the Department of Transportation gave the go-ahead to resume passenger flights from the U.S. to Cuba. This week, they proposed to award eight airlines service to Havana: American, Delta, United, Southwest, Spirit, Alaska, Frontier, and JetBlue.


The move is tentative and still subject to objections, but the DOT expects to finalize the approval later this summer. If it does, the origin cities with flights to Havana will be New York, Atlanta, Houston, Los Angeles, Charlotte, Newark, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, and Tampa. A fact sheet (PDF) from the DOT explains:

DOT has only issued a tentative decision, and airlines will not be authorized to sell tickets or operate scheduled flights until a final decision is reached sometime later this summer. The airlines have proposed varying startup dates for their services, but most are planned for fall and winter 2016/2017. DOT’s decision contains requirements that, if made final, will require that the carriers begin their services within 90 days of the issue date of a final order.


This still doesn’t mean you can casually travel as a tourist, though. There are still limitations on who can travel, and in order to visit, you have to meet one of 12 qualifications, which include visiting family, journalistic activities, religious activities and more. You can find the full list here, and for more detail, head to the link below.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Foxx Proposes U.S. Airlines and Cities for New Scheduled Service to Havana | Transportation.gov via Consumerist