United Airlines recently notified the Department of Transportation of plans to entirely discontinue flights to a major city beginning in September.
United Airlines was previously flying seven weekly flights between Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport and Havana’s José Martí International Airport. This was its sole non-stop scheduled service to Cuba.
United Airlines no longer wishes to continue this service to Cuba for two big reasons:
- A seasonal drop in demand
- Tighter restrictions on travel to Cuba
This was United’s only commercial service to Cuba, so it will no longer be taking passengers there this winter.
Flights will be cancelled entirely for the full winter season. United Airlines also requested that the DOT formally waive dormancy conditions to allow the airline to restart the flight before the start of the Summer 2026 season.
United Airlines noted in its DOT filing that passenger demand for visiting Havana is “highly seasonal,” and the sharp drop-off in demand that occurs during the winter months will make regular daily flights financially unsustainable.
The Trump Administration has also made it more difficult to travel to Cuba.
In June, the Administration restored Visa requirements for certain Cuban officials and it also announced it would more strictly enforce a ban on Cuban tourism, as Americans are currently allowed to travel to Cuba only for one of 12 approved reasons, such as visiting family members or doing humanitarian work.
Previous administrations had taken steps to ease restrictions on Cuban travel, which the Trump Administration is now undoing.
