May 05--JetBlue Airways announced Tuesday that it will begin offering a daily flight between New York and Cuba -- a move that makes it the first major U.S. carrier to offer a flight to the country since travel restrictions were recently eased.
The daily non-stop -- operated by the airline's charter partner, Cuba Travel Services -- will travel between New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and Havana's Jose Marti International Airport starting in July.
In January, the Obama administration issued new rules that make it far easier for Americans to visit the island nation and do business there after more than 50 years of enforced isolation. This came on the heels of a December announcement of the United State's plans to normalize relations with Havana and to restore diplomatic ties broken soon after the Cuban revolution of 1959.
A request for comment from JetBlue about any future routes from the United States to Cuba was not immediately returned.
New Treasury and Commerce Department regulations, implemented in January, relax decades-old U.S. restrictions on trade and remittances, including the use of U.S. credit and debit cards in Cuba, opening a path for tourists.
The New York City area has the second largest Cuban American population in the United States after Florida.
Los Angeles Times staff writer Hugo Martin contributed to this report.
