Now that U.S. airlines can finally fly regularly scheduled flights to and from Cuba, at least one stateside online booking company is joining in the fun.
CheapAir.com says it’s the first U.S. online company to sell tickets for both charted and scheduled airline service to the nation, reports the Miami Herald.
Right now, American Airlines, JetBlue, and Silver Airways are flying scheduled service to Cuban cities (Havana not included, at the moment). American Airlines will likely be the first approved airline to head to Havana with a flight from Miami scheduled to start regular trips on Nov. 28. Eight major airlines will eventually offer flights to 10 destinations in Cuba.
“Thanks to that, it has greatly expanded the inventory of Cuba flights we’re offering,” Jeff Klee, the founder and chief executive of CheapAir told the Herald.
While some booking sites offer discounts, CheapAir will be selling tickets for the same prices as the airlines do. So why through the site? Klee says it will provide travelers the chance to compare various airlines’ fares and mix and match travel segments among those airlines.
“As far as I know we are the first U.S. online company to do Cuba,” he said.
In March, the Obama administration announced amendments to federal regulations governing travel to Cuba, with the changes that made it easier for people to travel to the island nation. Until that point, Americans could travel to Cuba, but usually only if they were part of a large educational group or they work as a journalist.
The rules now allow for “people-to-people educational travel”: as long as you have a “full-time schedule of educational exchange activities intended to enhance contact with the Cuban people, support civil society in Cuba, or promote the Cuban people’s independence from Cuban authorities,” you can travel to Cuba.
CheapAir.com begins selling scheduled flights to Cubaa [Miami Herald]
by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist
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