Chartered flights to Cuba

It is a sad commentary of our times but people in the US and Cuba cannot fly into each other’s countries with ease. The United States and Cuba do not have an agreement giving each other aircraft landing rights. There are no scheduled flights. However, chartered flights to Cuba can operate under a license granted by the Treasury Department. Nearly 200,000 people travel to Cuba a year using such charters. Everything from small aircraft to commercial Boeings is used for charters. Prospective flyers should check the credentials of the operator before buying a ticket. It is worth visiting the office even if bookings can be made on line. Look and ask for credentials and references and check out the aircraft as well. Operation certificates, safety records and insurance should be examined.

Miami, New York and Los Angeles are the only US cities allowed to operate chartered flights to Cuba. Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, New Orleans and Atlanta, with their large populations of people of Cuban descent, would like to operate chartered flights to Cuba in the near future. The traffic grows year by year. Miami alone records revenues of $ 20 million related to chartered flights to Cuba. Miami was the only city until a few years ago, when the Clinton Administration added New York and Los Angeles.

People, who are of Cuban origin and descent, wanting to visit relatives, are not the only ones who want to travel from the US to Cuba. There are increasing numbers of people seeking to visit the communist island nation for business, education and culture. Small wonder that large airlines have been eyeing this lucrative market for some time. The demand is likely to grow as Cuba opens up to the world and as US administrators lose some inhibition born out of history and ideology.

There are many flights to Cuba from the UK and other countries. These are aimed at local vacationers but they are obviously not the first choice for people who reside in the US. It is a matter of hope that the Administration will soon make it easier for people from the US to fly to Cuba with ease and safety.