United Airlines recently shared some positive news when reporting its second-quarter earnings. The news indicates that airlines on the whole expect less geopolitical and microeconomic uncertainty starting in the second half of the year.
While United Airlines has seen an increase in demand, and especially demand in business class, in the second quarter, the airline is still going to be making some cuts to its schedule in the upcoming months. This includes cutting up to 4% of scheduled domestic flights beginning in the third quarter of 2025.
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Most of the upcoming flight cuts will include off-peak flights, or those that happen early or late at night or on days when people do not fly as often. However, the airline will also entirely suspend all flights to one specific city, not just flights at specific times or on specific days.
This change is driven in part by drops in demand, but there are also other factors in play too that have influenced the Airline’s decision.
Image source: United Airlines
United Airlines will no longer be flying to this major city
United Airlines recently notified the Department of Transportation of plans to entirely discontinue flights to a major city beginning in September.
United Airlines was previously flying seven weekly flights between Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport and Havana’s José Martí International Airport. This was its sole non-stop scheduled service to Cuba.
Related: American Airlines cancels hundreds of flights starting in August
United Airlines no longer wishes to continue this service to Cuba for two big reasons:
- A seasonal drop in demand
- Tighter restrictions on travel to Cuba
This was United’s only commercial service to Cuba, so it will no longer be taking passengers there this winter.
Flights will be cancelled entirely for the full winter season. United Airlines also requested that the DOT formally waive dormancy conditions to allow the airline to restart the flight before the start of the Summer 2026 season.
Why is United Airlines suspending flights to Havana?
United Airlines noted in its DOT filing that passenger demand for visiting Havana is “highly seasonal,” and the sharp drop-off in demand that occurs during the winter months will make regular daily flights financially unsustainable.
The Trump Administration has also made it more difficult to travel to Cuba.
In June, the Administration restored Visa requirements for certain Cuban officials and it also announced it would more strictly enforce a ban on Cuban tourism, as Americans are currently allowed to travel to Cuba only for one of 12 approved reasons, such as visiting family members or doing humanitarian work.
Previous administrations had taken steps to ease restrictions on Cuban travel, which the Trump Administration is now undoing.
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How does United Airlines’ suspension of flights to Cuba impact travelers?
United Airlines is currently the only airline provider that offers flights to Cuba outside of Florida.
Currently, American Airlines is the primary provider of flights to this destination, as American Airlines runs multiple weekly flights out of Miami to Cuba. In addition, both Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines offer some weekly flights, but only from Miami and Tampa.
Without United Airlines’ offering its Cuba-bound flights, there will be fewer travel options available to those who want to visit the island. Further, those who want to travel there will now have no choice but to leave from one of the limited number of Florida airports that serve the area.
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United Airlines will still continue to operate a weekly charter flight from Jacksonville to Guantanamo Bay, but that won’t help passengers looking for a way to get to Cuba without first going through the Sunshine State.
What can travelers do after United Airlines suspended flights to Cuba?
- Be aware of the United Airlines flight suspension;
- Explore alternative travel options through American Airlines or Southwest out of Florida;
- Monitor for United Airlines schedule changes that could occur in the summer of 2026 and that could restore Cuba flights.
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