American Airlines (AA, Dallas/Fort Worth) has filed a request with the US Department of Transportation (DOT) for an additional 14 weekly flights from Miami International to Havana International. The move comes after JetBlue Airways (B6, New York JFK) informed the DOT earlier this month that it was handing back its US-Cuba frequencies.

According to the ch-aviation schedules module, the Oneworld carrier already offers 42x weekly flights on the city pair, and on that basis, American suggests to the DOT that its application will allow it "to provide enhanced nonstop scheduled passenger service." The US-Cuba Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2016 allows US carriers to operate up to 20 daily round-trip frequencies. American operates no other scheduled services to Cuba other than its existing 6x daily flights from Miami to Havana.

Planned to commence on June 4, the proposed extra 2x daily services would be operated year-round using American's 172-seat B737-800s, of which it currently has a fleet of 304 aircraft. With 1140L and 1340L departures from Miami, the new sectors would fit between its existing 1031L and 1542L flights to the Cuban capital.

The opportunity arose after jetBlue, on January 16, notified the DOT that it was handing back 14 weekly US-Cuba frequencies - seven from Orlando International, six from New York JFK and one from Boston - effective April 29. However, it will retain a 1x weekly service from JFK to Havana.

American's application to the DOT for extra scheduled flights comes two weeks after the Department announced it will suspend from March 10 the authority granted to all public charter operators to serve any airport in Cuba other than Havana and impose a cap on the number of flights to the Cuban capital. The DOT made the decision following a request from the US Department of State "to strengthen the impact of the Administration's policy of applying economic pressure on the Cuban regime."