NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--JetBlue (NASDAQ:JBLU), the first U.S. airline to bring affordable and convenient air travel to Cuba after more than 50 years, today announced the long-anticipated addition of service to Havana’s José Martí International Airport (HAV) starting in late November (a). Havana, the airline’s fourth Cuban destination and 100th destination network-wide, will be served by daily roundtrip flights from three JetBlue focus cities on the airline’s newest Airbus A321 aircraft and its award-winning customer service:
- New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK): Daily roundtrips begin on November 28, 2016
- Orlando International Airport (MCO): Daily roundtrips begin on November 29, 2016
- Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL): Once-daily roundtrips begin on November 30, 2016 and a second daily roundtrip (except Saturdays) begins December 1, 2016
Known for offering a customer-focused experience at a competitive price, JetBlue continues to make Cuba more affordable for those who meet government travel requirements. Introductory fares from Florida start at $54 one-way (b) and introductory fares from New York start at $99 one-way (b), including Cuban government-required health insurance coverage.
“Our historic first flight kicked off a new era in travel to Cuba, and once again JetBlue will make history with flights that finally make flying to the Cuban capital simple, affordable and enjoyable,” said Robin Hayes, president and chief executive officer, JetBlue. “It’s remarkable that a startup airline less than 17 years old will mark Havana as its 100th destination.”
With service to Havana, JetBlue – which launched its first flight in February 2000 – will serve 100 destinations across 22 countries in the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean.
JetBlue Celebrates the Culture of Cuba by Supporting the American Museum of Natural History’s Upcoming Exhibition: ¡Cuba!
To mark the inaugural flights, JetBlue will celebrate Cuba’s distinctive cultural heritage in its home at JFK’s Terminal 5 (T5) and in partnership with the American Museum of Natural History.
A special Live From T5 concert will kick off inaugural day on November 28 with performances from an award-winning Cuban music group and a New York-based Cuban dance group. Additionally, travelers passing through T5 will be able to take in a live mural creation by a Cuba-based artist. Other inaugural festivities will include traditional Cuban food and remarks to commemorate JetBlue’s first commercial flight to Havana.
JetBlue will also proudly highlight its support of ¡Cuba!, an exhibition by New York’s American Museum of Natural History. The exhibition opens to the public at the museum’s Manhattan location on November 21. ¡Cuba! will showcase the country’s biodiversity, culture and life and will invite visitors to discover Cuban nature and Cuban culture through music, dance performances, and a variety of interactive experiences.
“We are delighted to launch this wonderful partnership with JetBlue as corporate sponsor of our upcoming exhibition ¡Cuba!” said Ellen V. Futter, President of the American Museum of Natural History. “Our exhibition grows out of an unprecedented scientific and educational partnership with the National Natural History Museum in Havana, and we are so pleased to have JetBlue’s support of the Museum as we continue our work both globally and locally to advance scientific research, education, and cross-cultural understanding.”
As a leader in science and conservation, the American Museum of Natural History has long-standing research and capacity development collaborations with Cuban scientists at a number of institutions. Museum scientists have participated in nearly 30 expeditions and field projects to Cuba over the last 120 years.
Removing the Cost & Complexity of Cuba Travel
True to its customer focus, JetBlue is taking a number of steps unique to its Cuba service to set it apart from competitors known for offering high prices and inferior service:
- Affordable fares: JetBlue is introducing a low starting fare to make Cuba more accessible to those visiting family members or traveling to Cuba for cultural, business or group travel.
- Health insurance included: JetBlue will include Cuban government-required health insurance coverage for all travelers on all Cuba-bound flights so that customers do not have to worry about obtaining the insurance separately.
- Affidavit in a few clicks: Under U.S. regulations, every customer traveling to Cuba must complete an affidavit affirming the customer is going for one of 12 reasons of approved travel from the U.S. Department of Treasury. JetBlue has built the completion of the affidavit right into the booking process so it can be finished in only a couple of clicks.
- Day-of-travel Cuban Tourist Visa (Tourist Card): Separate from the U.S. regulated 12 categories, visitors must also obtain an entrance visa into Cuba. For customers who qualify for a Cuban Tourist Visa (Tourist Card), JetBlue will make those visas available for purchase upon check-in at one of its gateway airports or at the gate for connecting customers on the day of travel. All travelers to Cuba must make their own determination with respect to the appropriate type of visa required by Cuba for their purpose of travel.
All customers traveling to Cuba must be authorized to do so under the U.S. government’s Cuban Assets Control Regulations and they must certify that they qualify for one of the twelve approved travel categories outlined by the U.S. Department of Treasury. All travelers to Cuba must make their own determination with respect to the appropriate type of visa required by Cuba for their purpose of travel.
| Schedule Between New York (JFK) and Havana (HAV) | ||||||
| Daily Flights Starting November 28, 2016 (a) | ||||||
| JFK – HAV Flight #243 | HAV – JFK Flight #242 | |||||
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8:58 a.m. – 1:05 p.m. |
2:20 p.m. – 5:33 p.m. | |||||
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Schedule Between Orlando (MCO) and Havana (HAV) |
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Daily Flights Starting November 29, 2016 (a) |
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| MCO – HAV Flight #503 | HAV – MCO Flight #1004 | |||||
| 8:26 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. | 11:30 a.m. – 12:50 p.m. | |||||
| Schedule Between Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood (FLL) and Havana (HAV) | ||||||
| Daily Flights Starting November 30, 2016 (a) | ||||||
| FLL – HAV Flight #1499 | HAV – FLL Flight #1500 | |||||
| 12:14 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. | 3:00 p.m. – 4:16 p.m. | |||||
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Second Daily Flights (except Saturdays) Starting December 1, 2016 (a) |
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| FLL – HAV Flight #799 | HAV – FLL Flight #800 | |||||
| 7:54 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. | 10:45 a.m. – 12:02 p.m. | |||||
Flights between the U.S. and Havana will be operated on JetBlue's Airbus A321 aircraft which offers the airline’s award-winning service, featuring the most legroom in coach (c); free Fly-Fi, the fastest broadband internet in the sky (d); complimentary and unlimited name-brand snacks and soft drinks; free, live DIRECTV® programming and 100 channels of SiriusXM® radio in every seatback.
About JetBlue Airways
JetBlue is New York's Hometown Airline©, and a leading carrier in Boston, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood, Los Angeles (Long Beach), Orlando, and San Juan. JetBlue carries more than 35 million customers a year to 97 cities in the U.S., Caribbean, and Latin America with an average of 925 daily flights. For more information please visit jetblue.com.
(a) Subject to receipt of government operating authority.
(b) Blue fare shown. Fares include government taxes, fees and Cuban government required health insurance. Click here for terms and conditions of the health insurance coverage provided. Each passenger from the United States of America must comply with regulations administered by the United States Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and is solely responsible for ensuring that his or her trip is authorized under at least one of the OFAC approved license categories and for obtaining any applicable visa. JetBlue is not responsible for a passenger’s failure to present or provide adequate travel documentation required. Fares must be purchased by 10/27/16 (the earlier of 11:59 PM ET or local) for flights from New York City, NY (JFK) to Havana, Cuba (HAV) between 11/28/16 and 02/28/17 on any day, Orlando, FL (MCO) to Havana, Cuba (HAV) between 11/29/16 and 02/28/17 on any day, and Fort Lauderdale, FL (FLL), to Havana, Cuba (HAV) between 11/30/16 and 02/28/17 on any day. 14-day advance purchase required. Fares are subject to limited availability; may not be available on all days or all flights; may change without notice; must be purchased at time of reservation; and are one-way, nonstop (except as otherwise noted), nonrefundable and nontransferable. View more information on taxes and fees. Checked Baggage Allowance/Fees: For Blue and Blue Plus fares to Cuba, first checked bag is included and second bag is $35. For Blue Flex fares, two checked bags are included. Customers traveling on flights to or from Cuba and the USA may not check more than two bags, and oversized and/or overweight bags are not accepted. View baggage fees and other optional services and fees. Change/Cancellation Fees: All reservations made one week or more prior to a flight's departure may be cancelled without penalty up to 24 hours after the reservation is made. Changes and cancellations made 60 days or more prior to departure date: Blue: $70 per person fee plus difference in fare. Blue Plus: $60 per person fee plus difference in fare. Blue Flex: difference in fare only for changes. Changes and cancellations made less than 60 days from departure date: (i) Blue: fares under $100, $70 per person plus difference in fare; fares between $100 and $149.99, $90 per person plus difference in fare; and fares of $150 or more, $135 per person plus difference in fare. (ii) Blue Plus: fares under $100, $60 per person plus difference in fare; fares between $100 and $149.99, $80 per person plus difference in fare; and fares of $150 or more, $120 per person plus difference in fare. (iii) Blue Flex: difference in fare only. View Change/Cancel fees information. Additional Change/Cancellation Terms (all fares): For changes, there may be a fare adjustment. Cancellations receive JetBlue travel credit, valid for one year. Changes/cancellations must be made prior to scheduled departure (otherwise all money for fare is forfeited). Proper documentation required for boarding. Flight terms and conditions apply.
(c) JetBlue offers the most legroom in coach, based on average fleet-wide seat pitch for U.S. airlines.
(d) Fly-Fi is not available on flights operating outside of the continental U.S. For flights originating outside of the continental U.S., Fly-Fi will be available once the aircraft returns to the coverage area. Fly-Fi is available on most JetBlue-operated flights, with fleet-wide installation complete by the end of 2016.
