JetBlue made history Wednesday morning.
The domestic airline took off from Fort Lauderdale on the first domestic flight to Cuba since 1961. As previously reported by GayTravel.com, new travel rules have made it easier for Americans to visit Cuba.
Domestic air travel from the United States to Cuba hasn’t been legal since the Cold War, and yet, in a few months, as many as 110 daily flights from 10 airlines will depart the U.S. for the island nation.
A number of journalists were on the Wednesday morning flight. JetBlue’s CEO anticipates that air travel to Cuba is going to be extremely popular in the coming months.
“We wanted to be first to Cuba and our crew members wanted to be first in Cuba,” said JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes. “This is going to make travel not only easier, but much more affordable, and that’s going to encourage many more people to travel.”
Airlines were given just 90 days to train employees and prep domestic flights to Cuba, a process some say felt rushed. Republican Mike McCaul, chair of the House Homeland Security, has expressed concerns.
“We don’t even know what their vetting process is for these employees. It just takes one person – either corrupted or radicalized – to put a bomb on an airplane,” McCaul said.
Technically, the U.S. still prohibits tourism to Cuba, but under loosened travel rules, there is a lot of leeway.
Still, the experience will vary for different passengers. there will be extra steps because of the Visa process. No app check in will be allowed and passengers need to arrive three to four hours early.
