Cuba routes dispute puts American at odds with Southwest, JetBlue

A motion filed by American Airlines with the US DoT that would alter how airlines schedule their routes to Cuba has generated backlash from rivals Southwest and JetBlue. In a Sept. 28 filing with the DOT, American requested the removal of US gateway conditions that apply to all US-Cuba frequencies and prevent carriers from switching route allocations between US cities to match demand. American wrote in the filing that the request, if granted, would allow the airline to transfer its Havana (HAV)-bound route from Charlotte, North Carolina (CLT) to Miami (MIA), where it already operates five daily flights to the island nation. Since the reintroduction of scheduled service to Cuba in early 2016, DOT has allocated a maximum of 20 daily roundtrip flights for US-based carriers to Havana, which can only be flown from the specific cities awarded by the Department. If a carrier wishes to transfer a route allocation, it must return its frequency to the DOT, and then compete to earn it back during a lengthy bidding process. American is hoping to avoid those frequency allocation proceedings, which can drag on for months or years, and during which time the frequencies at issue remain unused. Moreover, there is no guarantee that American would succeed if it were to return its frequency to the DOT, as other competitors could swoop in and take the route for themselves.<br/>