Reps. Poe, Green, Olson, Brady: Open Route From Houston To Havana
Statement
This week, Houston area Congressmen Ted Poe (TX-02), Pete Olson (TX-22), Gene Green (TX-29) and Kevin Brady (TX-8) wrote a letter in support of United Airlines' recent application for Saturday service between Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport and Havana's Jose' Martí International Airport.
"Now that the United States has started moving towards normalizing relations with Cuba, it's time to open up travel," said Congressman Poe. "Houston, America's fourth largest city, is one of United Airlines' most central locations with a large Cuban population. This makes it a natural gateway for travel between Cuba and the United States not only from Texas but other locations throughout the nation. I urge the Administration to quickly grant this application and open up the skies between Havana and Houston."
"Houston is home to one of our nation's largest international hubs, which would serve as a critical link between Cuba and several business markets throughout the United States and Central America," said Congressman Green. "We support opening the airways from Houston to Havana, which will greatly benefit our businesses and consumers alike."
"History has shown us that exposure to free markets and free people can help change the direction of governments," Rep. Pete Olson said. "As relations between the US and Cuba continue to open up, we have an opportunity to show Cuba the benefits of a free and open democracy. I was pleased to support United's request to operate new routes between Houston and Cuba."
"We thank Representatives Ted Poe, Kevin Brady, Gene Green, and Pete Olson for supporting United's proposal to serve Cuba from Houston. Customers from Houston's large Cuban-American community as well as customers from throughout Texas and across the central and western U.S. will greatly benefit with approved service," said Steve Morrissey, United's vice president of regulatory and policy affairs. "With a route network that offers the greatest number of flights in many of the largest U.S. cities, United is ideally positioned to maximize customer choice and access."
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