United seeks flexibility on Houston-Havana route due to fluctuating demand

The airline further argued that granting this request would be in the public interest by enabling them to use their fleet more efficiently while still meeting service demands between Houston and Havana as well as on other routes.

This request aligns with similar petitions from other airlines seeking relief for the current International Air Transport Association (IATA) winter season, which runs from October 27 until March 30, 2025.

Data from Cirium shows that American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and Southwest Airlines have scheduled a total of 126 weekly flights from the US to Cuba in December. This figure is nearly unchanged from December 2023. However, Southwest has cut back some services but increased others between different US airports and Havana.

American Airlines and Delta Air Lines have expanded their flight offerings slightly compared to last year. Despite this growth in flight numbers, overall capacity measured in weekly seats will see a slight decrease year-on-year due to various operational changes among carriers.

In August, there was a notable reduction in flights by US carriers heading to Cuba. JetBlue entirely withdrew its services amid challenging conditions within Cuba's infrastructure. Power outages across the country contributed significantly to these adjustments.

By late October, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and JetBlue received approval from the DOT for frequency adjustments on eight routes including those involving Miami International Airport (MIA) and Havana.

Currently, American Airlines maintains a strong presence with connections between Miami and several Cuban airports such as Camagüey Ignacio Agramonte International Airport (CMU), José Martí International Airport (HAV), Holguín Frank País Airport (HOG), Santiago de Cuba Antonio Maceo Airport (SCU), Santa Clara Abel Santamaria Airport (SNU), and Varadero Juan Gualberto Gomez Airport (VRA).