Air Services Agreement with Cuba

Floor Speech

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Mr. FLAKE. Mr. President, last month we reached a milestone in the continuing reform of our policy toward Cuba. The United States and Cuba completed a bilateral air service agreement that is key to ensuring the continued travel of Americans to the island. The newly minted air services agreement will, for the first time in 50 years, provide scheduled air service between the United States and Cuba, including 20 daily flights to Havana and 10 daily flights to other Cuban airports.

As someone who believes that all Americans should have a chance to see a living museum of a failed socialistic experiment, I look forward to the day when all Americans can use Web sites they are familiar with to make reservations, even with their frequent flyer miles, to book flights to Havana and elsewhere in Cuba. Clearly, there is interest on our side of the Florida Strait. With easing of regulatory restrictions, authorized travel to Cuba by Americans has increased by more than 50 percent in just one year. Freedom to travel between the two countries will continue to open cultural and economic ties, benefiting the Cuban people and Americans alike.

While I ardently support everyone's right to travel to Cuba, key to the success will be ensuring that the initial flights being awarded by the Department of Transportation provide for the continued and expanded ability of the Cuban American community to travel to the island via regular air service. This should include adequate regular service to accommodate the growing demand from the largest and closest Cuban American population located in Miami-Dade County.

In addition, having traveled to Cuba multiple times over the years, I hope that the Department closely evaluates the complexity of operating there and ensures that those selected to operate these routes are up to the task--those with experience.

A failure-to-launch scenario would represent a critically missed opportunity represented by the potential of successfully scheduled air services between the United States and Cuba. We can't afford to let this opportunity go to waste.

I have long supported efforts to restore the rights of American citizens to travel to Cuba and have introduced legislation to lift the statutory ban on travel, along with my colleague from Vermont, Senator Leahy. I am pleased to say that our legislation continues to gain bipartisan support.

As the situation changes on the ground with developments like regular air service, direct air service, and scheduled air service, I hope that thousands upon thousands of Americans will visit Cuba and Congress will do the right thing when it comes to changing our outdated law.

I yield back, Mr. President.

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