Southwest Looking To Add Flights To Cuba This Year
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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Southwest Airlines may be flying to Cuba... Soon.
The deadline for airlines to make their pitch for a limited number of slots is a week from Wednesday.
In an internal podcast to employees Monday, Southwest's CEO Garry Kelly said, "I think in all likelihood we will apply. We are seriously considering, of course, if we do apply and are awarded slots, we would have to move quickly. In fact, unless things change, we would be flying into Cuba this year. If we don't get our foot in the door now, we might miss the opportunity to serve Cuba for a long time. So stay tuned—we'll keep you all posted. But just be aware that we are very prepared to consider this opportunity and may very well be flying to Cuba in 2016."
In a news release last week Southwest said it "applauds transportation officials in Havana as the United States and Cuba culminated months of negotiation to restore scheduled flights between the mainland U.S. and the Caribbean nation."
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