O'Hare will not get direct flights to Havana

Thursday, July 7, 2016
CHICAGO (WLS) -- O'Hare did not make the list of U.S. airports approved to offer non-stop flights to Havana, Cuba.

The Department of Transportation gave tentative approval for direct routes out of select cities for eight airlines.
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United and American airlines both asked for permission to fly direct between O'Hare and Havana. Chicago-based United is approved to offer non-stop service, but only out of its hubs in Newark and Houston.

The U.S. cities are Atlanta; Charlotte, North Carolina; Houston; Los Angeles; Newark, New Jersey; New York; and four in Florida - Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Tampa. Of the 20 daily nonstop flights allowed to Havana, 14 are from Florida, home to the largest population of Cuban-Americans.
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The other airlines are Alaska, American, Delta, Frontier, JetBlue, Southwest and Spirit.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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