American Airlines Opens Ticket Office In Havana; Delta Air Lines Was First; Can't Accept Credit Cards & Can't Check-In For Flights
/On 1 February 2017, Fort Worth, Texas-based American Airlines opened a ticket office in the city of Havana, Republic of Cuba. The company has an operations office for its resident country manager.
American Airlines operates thirteen daily flights from Miami, Florida, and from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Havana and the cities of Camaguey, Cienfuegos, Holguin, Santa Clara and Varadero.
From American Airlines on 6 February 2017:
We have three employees at the Ticket Service Center. They are not American Airlines employees, they contract employees.
We sell tickets and provide information. All transactions are cash only, only currency accepted is CUC’s (Cuban Convertible Pesos). Unlike in the U.S. or other TSC’s in Latin America and the Caribbean, customers can’t check-in or receive a boarding pass and the self-service machine is not operational at this time. Also, our frequent flyer program reservations and inquiries are limited.
The office is located at Calle 76 entre 5ta y 3ra Avenida, Centro de Negocios de Miramar, Barcelona Building. Office is open to the public Monday through Friday de 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturdays 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Additionally we have a training room to bring in our airport contract employees in Cuba for training. Our country manager’s office is also located in this office complex (Edificio Beijing).
On 7 November 2016, Atlanta, Georgia-based Delta Air Lines became the first United States-based company to establish an office since 1961 in the Republic of Cuba.
Long Island City, New York-based JetBlue Airways expects to open an office soon.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the United States Department of the Treasury has authorized United States-based companies to have representative offices in the Republic of Cuba.
The ticket offices are staffed by Republic of Cuba nationals.
The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) has authorized the re-establishment of regularly-scheduled commercial services from the United States to the Republic of Cuba; there will be up to 110 daily flights.
