US air marshals will be aboard Cuba flights

A sticking point in resumption of commercial airline service to Cuba has been resolved: US air marshals will travel on certain flights to Cuba. At the request of the US-Cuba Trade and Economic Council, the TSA released a statement addressing the issue of federal air marshals on flights to and from Cuba. Regularly scheduled service to Cuba is tentatively scheduled to resume after a hiatus of more than five decades on Aug. 31 when JetBlue begins service from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International to Santa Clara, Cuba. Pending final approval from the Cuban government, other airlines, including American Airlines, are scheduled to begin their inaugural service to destinations outside the Cuban capital soon after that. The US DoT has tentatively approved Havana routes for eight airlines and is expected to announce final approvals later this month. "In the spirit of enhancing the security of international civil aviation, the United States and The Republic of Cuba entered into an aviation security agreement that sets forth the legal framework for the deployment of US in-flight security officers more commonly known as federal air marshals on board certain flights to and from Cuba," said the TSA statement. "For security reasons, we will not divulge which flights air marshals will be aboard." The TSA said the agreement "will strengthen both parties' aviation security efforts" and that it will continue to work with Cuba to expand air marshal presence on flights and to enhance security.<br/>