United Airlines Petitions USDOT For Flexibility On Houston-Havana Route

United Airlines
has asked the United States Department of Transportation ( DOT
) for additional flexibility on its Houston, the US, to Havana, Cuba itinerary, which would enable the carrier to adjust its capacity according to demand.

Addressing lower demand during shoulder seasons

To support its petition, United Airlines said that it has submitted the motion for seasonal flexibility for all seven weekly frequencies so that it can better assign capacity according to fluctuating demand.

“United’s plans include reductions in certain days of [the] week to address reduced demand in shoulder seasons.”

The airline reiterated that it still believes that its flights between Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport
(IAH) and Havana José Martí International Airport (HAV) provide significant benefits to the traveling public.

United Express Embraer E175

Photo: Minh K Tran | Shutterstock

However, because “ample frequencies” between the US and Havana exist currently, and given that the DOT has provided American Airlines
, Delta Air Lines
, and JetBlue
with temporary waivers on flights to Cuba and/or Havana specifically, United Airlines’ request was “reasonable.”

“Finally, granting United’s request for seasonal flexibility would be consistent with the public interest since it would enable United to use its fleet more efficiently while still meeting its demand for services between Houston and Havana as well as on other routes.”

All four airlines have requested relief for the current International Air Transport Association ( IATA
) winter season that began on October 27 and will run until March 30, 2025.

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Changing capacity on flights to Cuba

Meanwhile, data from the aviation analytics company Cirium showed that in December, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and Southwest Airlines
have scheduled 126 weekly flights from the US to Cuba.

That is just one more than in December 2023, with the almost-flat weekly flight growth rate being underpinned by Southwest Airlines removing 15 weekly frequencies.

The airline has slashed all of its three daily services from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport
(FLL) to Havana and added six flights from Tampa International Airport
(TPA) to the Cuban capital.

 United Airlines Boeing 737-800 airplane at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in the United States.

Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock

American Airlines and Delta Air Lines added a further nine and seven weekly flights in December, respectively, compared to the same month a year prior. Overall capacity, measured in weekly seats, will be slightly (0.9%) lower year-on-year (YoY).

In August, US carriers had significantly slashed capacity flights from the US to Cuba, removing 52 weekly flights, with JetBlue dropping all of its 15 weekly itineraries to the country.

During the same month, the island nation had experienced country-wide blackouts, mainly due to an outdated and poorly maintained power grid, according to a report by Reuters. In October, the grid had collapsed once again.

In early December, the situation had repeated itself, with Cuba’s largest power plant failing and leaving millions of residents in the dark, including those living in Havana, according to a report by CNN.

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Affecting eight routes

All of the DOT’s filings, with the Department approving American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and JetBlue’s motions to adjust their frequencies to Cuba in late October, showed that the quartet, which includes United Airlines, could adjust the number of weekly flights on eight routes. This includes both American Airlines and Delta Air Lines offering flights from Miami International Airport
(MIA) to Havana.

US airlines' flights from the United States to Cuba in Decemebr 2024

Photo: Great Circle Map

In December, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and Southwest Airlines will run flights to six destinations in Cuba:

  • Camagüey Ignacio Agramonte International Airport (CMU)
  • José Martí International Airport (HAV)
  • Holguín Frank País Airport (HOG)
  • Santiago de Cuba Antonio Maceo Airport (SCU)
  • Santa Clara Abel Santamaria Airport (SNU)
  • Varadero Juan Gualberto Gomez Airport (VRA)

American Airlines offers the largest number of unique routes, with the carrier connecting Miami and its vast Cuban community with all of the six airports mentioned above, while the remaining three carriers only fly to Havana.

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