Delta gets initial OK to increase Miami-Havana flights

Delta Air Lines has received initial approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation to increase its flying from Miami to Havana, Cuba.

Young Cubans play soccer on a court across from the sea wall on the Straits of Florida in Havana. A national mourning period for the late Cuban leader Fidel Castro has made for quieter streets than usual, though life goes on in other ways. BOB ANDRES /BANDRES@AJC.COM

Atlanta-based Delta already flies daily from Atlanta to Havana. Last year, the airline told the DOT it wants to scale back its New York-Havana flights to once a week and add a second daily flight from Miami to Havana.

While there are plenty of modern day vehicles on the roads of Havana, antique cabs are a popular attraction.

Delta also told the DOT that adding an evening departure from Miami to Havana would allow it to reschedule Atlanta passengers who miss flights and still get them to their destinations the same day.

A door man watches outside a restaurant popular with tourists in Havana. The mood was subdued without the nightclub music scene.

The DOT last week proposed granting the additional Miami-Havana flying to Delta, and also tentatively awarded additional Havana flying rights for JetBlue, American, Southwest and United. The DOT invited public comment on its tentative decision before issuing a final decision.