Southwest Airlines interested in Cuba flights

Southwest Airlines interested in Cuba flights
Dawn Gilbertson, The Republic | azcentral.com 3:03 p.m. MST January 22, 2015

Although you can go to Cuba now, you can't visit as a tourist. Here are
five things to know before you go.

U.S. airlines will be allowed to offer flights as travel restrictions
between the two countries are eased
Southwest has been expanding internationally.

Southwest Airlines will consider flying to Cuba when commercial flights
by U.S. carriers become a reality.

Southwest CEO Gary Kelly cautioned, however, that the Caribbean nation
is one of nearly 50 destinations outside the continental U.S. on its
radar for future expansion. The list includes Hawaii and Alaska.

"It's something that's intriguing, and something that we'll look at, but
we've got a lot of those intriguing opportunities,'' he said on a
conference call with reporters today.

Other major airlines have also expressed an interest in offering flights
to Cuba since the U.S. government announced in December that it was
easing travel restrictions between the two countries as part of a
broader program to normalize relations with Cuba. The specifics were
announced last week.

Southwest, which has one of its biggest operations at Phoenix Sky Harbor
International Airport, has been expanding internationally since it
purchased AirTran Airways a few years ago. The airline offers flights to
the Caribbean and Mexico.

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