Delta Restores Vital Link with Miami-Havana Route Reopening
Delta is once again operating two daily flights between the two cities after suspending the service in March 2020
Photo: Havana, Cuba. Courtesy of Alexander Kunze / Unsplash
Experience the excitement of traveling to Havana, Cuba once again with Delta Air Lines as the carrier resumes connecting the vibrant city with Miami after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As of Monday, April 10, the Atlanta-based carrier is now offering not one but two daily flights between Miami International Airport (MIA) and Havana’s José Martí International Airport (HAV), providing the Cuban diaspora in South Florida with even more opportunities to reach their homeland.
Delta Air Lines, Boeing 737-800 / Photo: CarterAerial/Shutterstock
Delta operates a Boeing 737-800 on these short-haul flights, offering 160 seats across three cabins, including 16 in First Class, 36 in Delta Comfort+, and the remaining 108 seats in the standard Main Cabin.
This is not the first time Delta has resumed flights to Cuba in recent years. In 2016, the airline restarted services to the Caribbean island nation after a 55-year hiatus due to the U.S. resuming diplomatic ties. At that time, the Obama Administration authorized six domestic airlines to fly to nine Cuban destinations. However, the Trump Administration scaled this back in 2019, allowing them to fly to Havana only.
Photo: Courtesy of Miami International Airport
U.S.-Cuba flights were then dealt another blow in 2020 with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, Delta suspended its service between Miami and Havana in March of that year, and it has only now resumed operations after more than three years, as of this week.
Other U.S. Airlines Operating in Cuba
However, other U.S. airlines have been quicker to return to Cuba. For example, American Airlines, the dominant carrier at MIA, resumed nonstop flights to Havana in late 2020 and now operates six daily flights between the two cities.
American Airlines also launched services to five more Cuban destinations from MIA—Santa Clara (SNU), Varadero (VRA), Holguin (HOG), Camaguey (CMW), and Santiago de Cuba (SCU)—following the Biden administration’s decision to reverse the ban on U.S. airlines flying to Cuban cities other than Havana in the summer of 2022.
Photo: American Airlines regional jets. Courtesy of Miguel Ángel Sanz / Unsplash
In addition to American Airlines, low-cost carriers JetBlue and Southwest Airlines operate flights from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood (FLL) to Havana. Southwest operates an additional service from Havana to Tampa (TPA), while JetBlue also serves Havana from New York (JFK). Meanwhile, United Airlines flies to the Cuban capital from its Houston (IAH) and Newark (EWR) hubs.
The new Delta flights to Havana are scheduled to depart MIA daily at 9:07 a.m. and 1:55 PM, touching down in Havana at 10:20 a.m. and 3:15 PM, respectively. The return flights will depart Cuba at 11:55 a.m. and 4:30 PM, arriving in Miami at 1:04 p.m. and 5:40 p.m., respectively.
Beware of Travel Restrictions
If you’re interested in a trip to Cuba, it’s important to remember that U.S. citizens are barred from entering the country for tourism purposes before booking any flights. However, the U.S. State Department has laid out twelve categories of travel that will allow people to enter Cuba, which includes family visits, official government business, journalistic, education, or religious activities, and humanitarian projects.
