Direct flights between US and Cuba to resume after 50 years



HAVANA -- Direct airline services between the US and Cuba are to be resumed after more than 50 years.

Officials are due to sign an aviation pact in Havana today (Feb.16 )bringing into effect a deal agreed in December. US airlines still must however apply for permission from US regulators to fly specific routes before they sell tickets to Cuba.

While charter flights already connect the countries, the accord is expected to increase tourism and business on the island.

The arrangement allows only 20 round-trip flights per day between the United States and Havana. The arrangement also allows 10 daily round-trips to nine other international airports in Cuba.


-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2016-02-16

Cuba is a great country to visit. Glad it is finally opening up!

Sign me up !

This is indeed bad news, having lived in Cuba for several years, it was so nice that the only north american accent was canuck.

The American government could have easily bought down the Cuban government many years ago, simply by allowing American tourists and Cuban-Americans to freely travel to Cuba ... to let the otherwise ignorant-of-America Cubans get an idea of what a much-freer-life is really like in America and how suppressed they were by their own government.

The only reason the American boycott has lasted as long as it has ... way longer that the boycott against Vietnam ... is the Cuban-American voters in Miami who are much needed to win national elections and who are wooed by both Democrats and Republicans. The same elite rich people who sucked their poor countrymen dry and fled the much-deserved punishment they were sure to get when Castro took power.

Castro actually did a lot of good for the people of Cuba, especially the poor majority. He created one of the best medical healthcare systems in the world and good quality education for the masses. However, he swung way too far to the left and stayed there way too long.

The American government could have easily bought down the Cuban government many years ago, simply by allowing American tourists and Cuban-Americans to freely travel to Cuba ... to let the otherwise ignorant-of-America Cubans get an idea of what a much-freer-life is really like in America and how suppressed they were by their own government.

The only reason the American boycott has lasted as long as it has ... way longer that the boycott against Vietnam ... is the Cuban-American voters in Miami who are much needed to win national elections and who are wooed by both Democrats and Republicans. The same elite rich people who sucked their poor countrymen dry and fled the much-deserved punishment they were sure to get when Castro took power.

Castro actually did a lot of good for the people of Cuba, especially the poor majority. He created one of the best medical healthcare systems in the world and good quality education for the masses. However, he swung way too far to the left and stayed there way too long.

Cubans are hardly ignorant of America. And they know exactly how repressive their government is. The boycott lasted a long time also due to the money owed for businesses/property taken during the revolution. But yes, the Cuban block in Florida is very powerful.

Doesn't sound like you've been to Cuba. Not sure the poor would agree their government has done much for them.