• Submitted by: manso
• Business and Economy
• 10 / 02 / 2011

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By: Doreen Hemlock September 30th, 2011 | 11:00 AM.Travel companies are expanding Cuba charter flights now, because the Obama administration has eased rules for Cuban-Americans to visit the island and is allowing more ”people-to-people” tours by U.S. citizens who seek to share directly with Cuban residents, from historians to cigar makers to  students.

US-Cuba charters added from Atlanta, NY and Miami. Add Atlanta to the list of U.S. cities offering charter flights to Cuba.

Charter organizer Marazul announced the launch of once-a-week flights from Atlanta to Havana starting Dec. 7, using jets leased from Delta Air Lines.

The news comes just weeks after Fort Lauderdale began offering charters to Cuba, with charter organizer Airlines Brokers Co. leasing JetBlue aircraft for the initial once-a-week service.

Travel companies are expanding Cuba charter flights now, because the Obama administration has eased rules for Cuban-Americans to visit the island and is allowing more ”people-to-people” tours by U.S. citizens who seek to share directly with Cuban residents, from historians to cigar makers to  students.

The number of people traveling on U.S. charter flights to Cuba is expected to rise from the 300, 000 to 400,000 range last year to top 400,000 and maybe even 500,000 next year, charter operators have forecast.

To handle growing traffic, Marazul also is expanding Cuba charters from Miami and re-launching flights from New York’s JFK airport. It will add up to five charters a week from Miami to Havana and two a week from Miami to Camaguey starting this fall. And it will begin once-a-week charters from New York to Cuba on Nov.6.

All the new Marazul flights will use Boeing 737-800 aircraft with 158 seats, including 16 seats in first class, according to Marazul President Armando Garcia.

Washington restricts most U.S. travel to Cuba since the 1960s in an effort to reduce the flow of dollars to the communist-led island. Some categories of U.S. citizens are allowed to visit and spend, including Cuban-Americans visiting family, researchers and travelers on authorized “people-to-people” tours.

Source: http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/south-florida-travel/2011/09/30/us-cuba-ch...