JetBlue Ready to Touch Down in Cuba’s Santa Clara

The Abel Santamaria International Airport in Santa Clara, in central Cuba, is ready to take in a considerable uptick in air traffic with the beginning of regular commercial flights between the island nation and the U.S. for the first time in 53 years.

JetBlue will be wheels down in Santa Clara's Abel Santamaria Airport, located three hours east of Havana, at about noon Aug. 31, beginning the first of a series of Monday, Wednesday and Friday flights from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport before daily service begins on Oct 1. JetBlue will also fly daily to Camagüey starting Nov. 3 and Holguín beginning Nov. 10 from Fort Lauderdale.

Santa Clara will be JetBlue’s first destination and the airport is revving up preps for the inaugural flight, efforts that include the training of the terminal staff and the upgrading of facilities.

The chief of the terminal, Omar Andres Gil, told the local press this morning the airlift to that airport in central Cuba will ramp up dramatically this year as Silver Airways will also start landing there on Sept. 1, a day after JetBlue’s opening flight.

As many as 281,480 passengers have arrived in Santa Clara in the first half of the ongoing year, 14,600 more travelers than in the first six months of 2015.

The Abel Santamaria Airport in Santa Clara opened on December 23, 2001 and its facilities were streamlined in 2006 in a bid to accommodate more aircraft.

"It's a new day for Cuba travelers and one we have thoughtfully prepared for," said Marty St. George, executive vice president of commercial and planning at JetBlue. "We are proud to usher in a new era of Cuba travel with affordable fares and great service."

One-way flights will be $99, with round-trip from $210, including Cuba-required health insurance coverage and taxes, making it the lowest Cuba fare announced so far by a commercial airline.

$210 Cost of flight on the inaugural JetBlue trip to Santa Clara on Aug. 31

American Airlines is offering flights to Cuba from Miami International Airport to Cienfuegos, Holguín, Camagüey, Santa Clara and Varadero, with its inaugural flights to Cienfuegos and Holguín kicking off on Sept. 7. During a fare sale that expired earlier this month, tickets were as low as $286, including taxes.

Regional airline Silver Airways will fly to Cuba for the first time early in the morning on Sept. 1, with a flight to Santa Clara from Fort Lauderdale. During its fare sale, which expired June 30, tickets on the inaugural Santa Clara flight were $313.16.

The flights are generally cheaper than a charter flight to the island, which now costs about $400 to $460.

Americans can travel to Cuba under 12 categories of travel, which excludes travel for strictly tourism. Travelers will still need to obtain an entrance visa, the most common form of which is referred to as a tourist card or visa. JetBlue said it will also sell visas upon check-in for about $50. Visas for business or media won't be available at check-in.

JetBlue has also tentatively been awarded four daily flights between Havana and Fort Lauderdale, New York City and Orlando. Neither JetBlue nor American, which was awarded five daily flights to Havana, have announced what dates they will fly to the Cuban capital.