SOUTHWEST Airlines has cancelled flights to a popular holiday hotspot.
Passengers are unable to book tickets to a Caribbean island starting from today.
Southwest has cut its round trip flights starting from today[/caption]
Flights to Cuba’s capital Havana have been reduced by multiple carriers[/caption]
Southwest has cut its round-trip service from Tampa to Cuba‘s capital Havana.
The Airline offered the flight twice a day but starting from today, only one return journey will be available to customers.
The temporary timetable would be in effect until March 2026.
Southwest bosses have cited the demand as a reason behind the abrupt change.
The carrier added that reducing the number of flights will help it to better serve its current customers.
However, their twice-daily service between Tampa and Havana could be restored in the future.
The airline chiefs have emphasised that Cuba remains an important market despite current schedule modifications.
Southwest isn’t the only airline to cancel its flights to Cuba.
Earlier this week, United Airlines has stopped its service from Houston, Texas to Havana, Cuba.
It is expected that the cancellation will remain in effect for the entire winter 2025-2026 season, according to documents seen by the U.S. Sun.
“We make regular adjustments to our flight schedule based on seasonality, demand, and other market factors,” a spokesperson told the US Sun in July.
According to Kayak data, American Airlines offers the most flights to Cuba, at 70 flights per week.
The next airlines to offer the most flights are Delta and Southwest, which both offer 14 per week.
Meanwhile, Southwest is also adding new flights to another Caribbean island.
Next year Southwest passengers will be able to fly non-stop to the beautiful Caribbean Island of Sint Maarten.
The new route will be launched on April 7, 2026, flying passengers to and from the island’s Princess Juliana International Airport.
It will run between both Orlando International Airport, Florida, and Baltimore/Washington International Airport, Maryland.
FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS
Americans are banned from visiting Cuba for tourism purposes.
However, they can visit Cuba for educational and humanitarian trips.
During his first term, Donald Trump imposed travel restrictions as he worked to reverse arrangements agreed under Barack Obama.
Americans were banned from organizing their own private trips to Cuba.
Those visiting Cuba as part of educational groups had to comply with stricter registration rules.
And, Americans were also banned from doing business with any company owned by the Cuban military or authorities.
Former president Joe Biden relaxed travel restrictions that were imposed by his predecessor.
His administration wanted to make it easier for family travel.
Flights between US and cities outside Havana were authorized, opening up travel links.
Cuba was removed from the state sponsors of terrorism list before Biden left office.
Rick Scott, a Republican senator, described Biden’s move as “reckless and dangerous.”
He warned about the risks such a move could have on US national security.
“Biden’s appeasement is feeding right into the hands of Cuba’s dictators, who fuel terrorism and oppress their people,” he claimed.
Scott described Biden’s action as his “parting gift.”
Even Democrats in Florida slammed Biden for his action.
“I am disappointed at the Biden Administration’s plan to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism,” Nikki Fried, the chair of the Democratic Party in Florida, said.
Cuba has since been re-added to the list.
In June, Trump signed an executive order reinstating previous sanctions that Biden relaxed.
But, the crackdown means most Cubans are banned from entering the US.
Those who have a green card are not impacted.
Trump’s crackdown toward Cuba has received a mixed response.
Maria Teresa Rodriguez, who moved to the US in 2009, supported the move, claiming the Cuban authorities want to have “total control.”
“I’m gonna quote Marco Rubio on that, they are enemies of humanity,” she told the NBC affiliate WAVE-TV.
“Those governments are enemies of humanity because of all of the things they do against their own people.”
