Houston Gets Direct Flight to Havana

Houston, TX -- The U.S. Department of Transportation is considering allowing direct flights from the U.S. to Havana, Cuba for the first time in 50 years.

While the final decision on the flights won't be made until later this summer, the wait will allow for a 30-day comment period. Houston is one of the cities that is being talked about.

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United Airlines has requested clearance for a direct flight from Houston to Havana, Cuba. If approved, the Saturday-only flight will depart from George Bush Intercontinental Airport.

The proposed flight is part of 15 initial routes to the Cuban capital. The city could be served by eight airlines departing from 10 cities, if the DOT approves. Some of the flights could begin as early as this fall.

Since President Obama announced the decision to begin normalizing relations with Cuba, U.S. air carriers have been working to comply with federal laws regarding travel to the communist country. One aspect of the companies compliance has been the retooling of their online registration processes.

Under federal law airlines must record, and retain for five years, the reason why a U.S. citizen traveled to Cuba. To expedite the process many of the airlines have added an extra step to their online booking sites.

When a U.S. citizen books a flight to Cuba he or she will be directed to a site that will inquire about the reason for the trip and then will offer a menu of 12 sanctioned reasons -- ranging from official business to family visit and including educational or religious activity.

While the announcement of the direct, commercial flights to Cuba will make traveling to the island easier, U.S. airlines have been flying chartered planes to Cuba since 1991. American Airlines alone had over 1,000 flights to Cuba last year.