Havana or Bust

Dallas-Fort Worth airlines score prized rights to fly to Cuba

American is one of six airlines awarded flights to Cuba, beginning in fall 2016.

Photo courtesy of American Airlines

American Airlines is Cuba bound. The Fort Worth-based airline is one of six awarded the right to operate flights to Cuba by the United States Department of Transportation (DOT).

There are flights to Cuba now, but they're all chartered. This would be regularly scheduled service. American has been doing charter service to Cuba for 25 years and has a strong presence in Miami-Dade.

It got dibs to Miami, from which it will fly to five cities in Cuba: Camaguey, Cienfuegos, Holguin, Santa Clara, and Varadero. The new flights are expected to begin in September and will represent American’s first-ever scheduled service to Cuba.

Other airlines given the nod include Frontier, JetBlue, Silver Airways, Sun Country, and Southwest, which has applied to fly out of Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, and Orlando. In addition to Miami, DOT approved scheduled flights from Chicago, Philadelphia, Ft. Lauderdale, and Minneapolis/St. Paul.

There are a limited number of flights that can fly into Cuba, and Havana has not yet been resolved; the Transportation Department will decide on who and what later this summer.

Travel is still limited, with travelers requiring approval in one of 12 travel categories such as family visits, humanitarian projects, and religious activities.

American Airlines VP Steve Johnson says that the airline is happy with its allotment of cities but would love some more.

"The resumption of scheduled air service to Cuba is a historic achievement, and we commend Secretary Foxx and his team for making it a reality," he says in a release. "We look forward to giving our customers direct access to Cuba and eagerly await the department's decision on flights to Havana."

American was approved to operate two daily flights between Miami and Holguin, Santa Clara and Varadero, and one daily flight between Miami and Camaguey and Cienfuegos.

But Havana Havana. American also requested 10 daily frequencies from Miami to Havana and additional service to Havana from Charlotte, Dallas-Fort Worth, Chicago, and Los Angeles. American stands ready to begin service to Havana at the earliest possible opportunity. HAVANA.

traffic transportation

Dallas-Fort Worth Airport ranks as world's 6th busiest in new report

DFW Airport

DFW Airport is celebrating the big 50.

Whichever way you look at it, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport ranks as one of the world’s busiest airports.

A new report from OAG, a provider of data and analytics for the travel industry, christens DFW the world’s sixth busiest airport based on what’s known as total seat capacity. In this case, that refers to the number of airline seats offered by an airport. DFW also held the No. 6 spot in last year’s OAG report.

OAG relied on data from the 2025 calendar year to come up with its latest ranking, which puts Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in the top spot.

A different ranking of the world’s busiest airports, based on the number of passengers in 2024, places DFW at No. 3. Airports Council International released the ranking last year. DFW handled 87.8 million passengers in 2024.

Atlanta’s airport also topped the council’s most recent list.

“DFW continues to experience unprecedented growth as we near serving 90 million passengers annually,” Sean Donohue, who then was CEO of DFW, said in an April 2025 news release. “Our continued place among the world’s busiest airports reflects the strength of this region, our airline partners, and the intentional investments we have made to operate an efficient and innovative facility for our partners and customers alike.”

Donohue retired last year, and DFW executive Chris McLaughlin was promoted to succeed him.

DFW is investing about $12 billion on airport upgrades, including the new Terminal F. The more than $4 billion project will create a 31-gate terminal to be occupied solely by Fort Worth-based American Airlines. The project’s first phase is scheduled to be finished in 2027.

“DFW is growing fast, and we are committed to sharing this economic opportunity with businesses in our community as we move forward,” DeMetris Sampson, a member of the airport's board, said in a May 2025 news release about Terminal F. “DFW has become the economic engine of our region, and we know that this investment will ensure the long-term sustainability of the airport.”

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