Saying the routes were not sustainable, Southwest Airlines
on Sept. 4 will cease flying to Varadero and Santa Clara, Cuba.
Southwest is currently serving the two Cuba destinations
daily from Fort Lauderdale.
The airline will continue to fly to Havana, offering
twice-daily service from Fort Lauderdale and daily service from Tampa.
"Our decision to discontinue the other Cuba flights
comes after an in-depth analysis of our performance over several months, which
confirmed there is not a clear path to sustainability serving these markets,
particularly with the continuing prohibition in U.S. law on tourism to Cuba for
American citizens."
Other airlines have axed Cuba routes this year. Silver
Airways in April ceased operating its Fort Lauderdale flights to Santa Clara,
Camaguey, Cayo Coco, Cayo Largo, Cienfuegos, Manzanillo, Varadero, Holguin and
Santiago de Cuba.
Earlier this month, Spirit Airlines and Frontier dropped Fort
Lauderdale-Havana and Miami-Havana routes, respectively.
The airlines said overcapacity, high operating costs and
lack of demand were factors in their decisions.