The US airline submitted a request to the Department of Transportation to operate a single daily flight, due to low demand and the complex market environment.
Madrid, Spain.- The Southwest Airlines airline has requested the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) a temporary exemption to reduce its frequency of flights between Tampa (Florida) and Havana (Cuba).
If approved, the measure will enter into force on September 4, 2025 and will remain until March 4, 2026, from two daily flights (14 weekly) to a daily one (7 weekly).
In its application, submitted on July 30, the company argued that the decision responds to fluctuations in the demand for travel between the two countries, which makes it unsustainable to maintain the current frequency. Southwest said he hopes to restore full service when market conditions improve.
The airline also said that it will make available to the affected passengers rearrangement options on the available flight or complete refunds.
This reduction is framed in a broader trend: other airlines such as United Airlines will suspend its Houston – La Habana route As of September 2, due to the “sustained volatility of demand out of season.” Currently, United is the only airline that flies from outside Florida to Cuba, operating a daily flight with Boeing 737-800 aircraft. While American Airlines and Delta have reduced or requested adjustments in their services to Cuba.
According to data from the National Office of Statistics and Information (Onei), in the first half of 2025 the number of international visitors to Cuba fell 25 % compared to the same period of the previous year, and trips from the United States almost 19.1 %decreased.
