• Submitted by: manso
• Politics and Government
• 03 / 11 / 2011

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By Juan Carlos CHavez. The U.S. government on Thursday said it will allow regular commercial flights to Havana from Fort Lauderdale- Hollywood International Airport — all part of the ongoing easing of travel restrictions to the island by the Obama administration.

It’s unclear which carrier will offer the flights, but the Broward County airport now has permission to schedule them.

In recent years, only charter flights from Miami to the island have been allowed.

“We still don’t know exactly when the flights will begin, but they have been approved,’’ said Greg Meyer spokesman for the airport. “We asked for permission on Jan. 28 and were optimistic they would be approved. This will be regular service to the island as opposed to charter flights.’’

This week, the government approved flights to Cuba from eight other U.S. airport, including Tampa, Chicago O'Hare, Baltimore, Dallas/Fort Worth, New Orleans, Pittsburgh, Atlanta and Luis Muñoz Marín in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The approval of the new flights does not change existing restrictions which prohibit U.S. tourists travel to Cuba.

For now, the U.S. government only allows Cuban exiles with relatives on the island and some American under special categories.

The Obama administration allows Cuban exiles to visit the island as often as they wish, as opposed to only three times a year during the previous George W. Bush administration. In the U.S., there are nearly 2 million Cuban-Americans and their families, most live in South Florida.

The flights out of Fort Lauderdale would likely serve this group.

Source: //www.miamiherald.com/2011/03/10/2107984/