LAX Tentatively Approved for Flights to Cuba

Los Angeles, CA — Los Angeles International Airport is one of the 10 airports tentatively approved for commercial flights to Havana this fall, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced Thursday.

Tourists won't be able to flock to Cuba just quite yet. Only people with government-approved reasons may fly to the island nation. While the U.S. is taking steps to normalize relations with the Communist country, travel restrictions are still in place. Direct flights from the U.S. to Cuba have been banned for more than 50 years.

“Today we take another important step toward delivering on President Obama’s promise to reengage Cuba,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a media release. “Restoring regular air service holds tremendous potential to reunite Cuban American families and foster education and opportunities for American businesses of all sizes.”

Other cities tentatively approved for scheduled flights to Havana are Miami, Atlanta, Charlotte, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, New York City, Newark and Orlando.

These cities were selected because of their status as important aviation hub cities and their "substantial Cuban-American population," according to the DOT.

Operating flights out of LAX will be Alaska Airlines. Different carriers were selected for different cities to present the public with a wide array of travel choices and to promote competition, the DOT said.

"We applaud the DOT for making a fair and equitable decision given the high-level of interest and limited number of available departures," Alaska Airlines CEO Brad Tilden said.

Other airlines tentatively chosen are American, Delta, Frontier, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit and United.

Daily flights to and from Cuba will be capped at 20 per day in accordance with an agreement signed by both countries on Feb. 16.

"Alaska looks forward to receiving a final order from the Department of Transportation and to starting service by the end of the year," Tilden said.

Travelers wanting to fly to Cuba must meet one of the 12 authorized reasons listed by the Treasury Department. These include family visits, humanitarian, diplomatic and business reasons. Click here to see the complete guidelines.

The approvals are only tentative and will go through a lengthy public review period. A final approval will be announced later this summer.