via video of Conan O’Brien’s trip to Cuba
Bye-bye, Big Apple. Hello, Havana. JetBlue is the first airline to offer flights from New York to Cuba since the U.S. government thawed its relations with the Caribbean nation last December, Business Insider reports.
This week, the airliner — along with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and charter partner Cuba Travel Services — announced that passengers can hop on a flight from NYC’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Havana’s Jose Marti International Airport starting on July 3.
Cuomo, according to NJ, recently traveled from New York City to Cuba with a few business leaders on what the governor’s office called a “trade mission.”
“Our first flight from JFK to Cuba brings JetBlue’s award-winning experience to Cuba-bound customers and offers new direct travel options from New York, where many Cubans live today,” JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes said in a statement.
Travel bookings and arrangements will be handled by Cuba Travel Services, while the actual flight will be operated by JetBlue’s Airbus A320 jets.
“We are very excited to partner with yet another prestigious carrier such as JetBlue,” Michael Zuccato, Cuba Travel Services general manager, said in a statement. “A second JFK rotation will provide additional options for travelers in the Tri-State area as well as those connecting passengers that prefer a New York gateway to Cuba.”
New York City, as per the LA Times, has the second-largest Cuban population in the United States after Florida.
According to NJ, United Airlines might be the next air carrier to offer flights to Cuba. It sought permission to fly to Havana in January.
If you’re nowhere near the East coast, don’t worry. JetBlue is planning to implement five additional routes from Tampa and Ft. Lauderdale in Florida to Cuba, Business Insider added.
