[Time] The Trump administration is banning U.S. flights to all Cuban cities but Havana in the latest move to roll back the Obama-era easing of relations, two people briefed on the matter said Friday. The people said the Transportation Department would announce that JetBlue and American Airlines flights to Santa Clara in central Cuba and Holguin and Camaguey in the island’s east would be banned starting in December.Flights to Havana, which account for the great majority of U.S. flights to Cuba, will remain legal. Other banned destinations like the beach resort of Varadero do not currently have U.S. carriers serving them.
The stated reason for the move is to prevent tourism to Cuba, which is banned by U.S. law. But it is not clear how many people take the flights for tourism purposes. Many are used by Cuban-Americans visiting relatives in cities far from Havana by road.
"We plan to operate in full compliance with the new policy concerning scheduled air service between the U.S. and Cuba," JetBlue said in a written statement. "We are beginning to work with our various government and commercial partners to understand the full impact of this change on our customers and operations in Camaguey, Holguin and Santa Clara."