United Airlines is pausing service to Cuba, citing lower seasonal demand thanks to new travel restrictions imposed by the Trump administration.

United Airlines To Suspend Houston–Havana Route As Travel Restrictions Bite

Currently, United Airlines is the only US carrier that serves Cuba on a route outside of Florida. It flies daily from Houston (IAH) to Havana (HAV) using a Boeing 737-800 aircraft. But on September 2, 2025, United plans to suspend service to Havana’s José Martí International Airport. A memo to reservation agents reads:

Effective September 2, 2025, United will no longer operate to/from Havana, Cuba (HAV). The last flights scheduled to operate are IAH-HAV (UA1506) and HAV-IAH (UA1507) on September 1, 2025. 

Per its Department of Transportation (DOT) filing (.pdf), United plans to resume service next summer:

United intends that the suspension will remain in effect for the remainder of the Summer 2025 and the entire Winter 2025/2026 traffic seasons, with service resuming no later than the start of the Summer 2026 season.

United asserts that the DOT’s previous grant of seasonal flexibility allows this route suspension, but in case it does not, it asks for additional flexibility for the following reasons:

• Demand on the IAH–HAV route is “highly seasonal, with pronounced shoulder‐season troughs that do not support daily service”
• United has not objected to similar waivers for carriers including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and JetBlue Airways

United says, “Granting this waiver will preserve United’s ability to restore competitive, nonstop Houston-Havana service once market conditions warrant, in line with the Department’s public-interest mandate.”

This move comes as the Trump Administration cracks down on the Cuban regime by warning that Americans who travel to Cuba for tourism face punitive fines and by adding heightened restrictions for travelers from Cuba wishing to visit America.

> Read More: Trump Administration Cracks Down On Cuba Travel With $250,000 Fines For Tourists
> Read More: Trump Announces New Travel Ban Targeting 19 Nations (Full List)

After September, United will continue to operate a weekly charter flight between Jacksonville, Florida (JAX) and Guantanamo Bay (NBW), using a Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft.

CONCLUSION

With a chilling warning against tourism to Cuba and new restrictions on travel from the island nation, coupled with routine seasonal drops in demand, it is no surprise that United is suspending its Havana service. While United intends to resume service next summer, the new restrictions showcase what a difficult aviation market Cuba is and how government restrictions can immediately depress demand to unsustainable levels.