Archive for 2016
On our last Cuba Expedition in November, we flew on a so-called “charter” flight—hopefully our last! The trip from Miami to Havana was about 200 miles, and took less than an hour. Charter flights are needlessly complicated and expensive—over $500 per person, round-trip. Our aircraft was less than half full—quite a contrast to previous charter flights that were usually packed.
A few non-charter flights (a.k.a. commercial flights or regularly-scheduled flights) began several weeks ago. Within a couple months there will be 10 U.S. airlines flying from various American airports to 10 different Cuban cities. The most common flights will be from Miami or Ft. Lauderdale to Havana, but many other combinations are possible. Some of the most notable round-trip flights are NYC/JFK to Havana on JetBlue for less than $300; LAX to Havana on Alaska Airlines for less than $500, and Miami to Havana on Frontier Airlines for less than $160. There is also no requirement to fly round-trip on the same airlines. For example, you can fly Charlotte to Havana on American Airlines; travel across Cuba to the eastern provinces, and return to the U.S. from Santiago to Ft. Lauderdale on Silver Airways.
Because of these new flights (and due to some other reasons), our travel groups will no longer meet up in Miami and fly together to Havana. Beginning in 2017, our travelers will save a lot of money by arranging and booking their own flights to Havana. Our prices will be significantly reduced to reflect this new policy.
Documentation will be much easier, too. Each airline will have its own Travel Affidavit for you to sign and give back to the airline. Keep a copy for yourself, although you will never need to show it to anybody again. The airline will then be compliant and off-the-hook. By signing it, you will agree that you will NOT be a tourist. It is also “Self-Authorizing,” which means that you are the only person who can decide if you are doing anything touristic or not. You also must check one of twelve approved categories. If none of the others apply, you can always check “Support for the Cuban People.” This category was added to purposely be vague and all-inclusive. Once again, it is up to YOU to decide if you qualify. So if you go to the beach, be sure to compliment a windsurfer or tip the bartender—that way you will show “Support for the Cuban People” as a non-tourist. You will be fully compliant.
Your Cuban Medical Insurance is included in the cost of your plane ticket. If you need to visit a clinic or hospital, take a copy of your passport and boarding pass (or ticket). There should be no charge for a hospital visit or for medications.
The only other item you will need will be a Tourist Card. You can buy it at the airport–reportedly from any airline that flies to Cuba. The prices are anywhere from $50 to $99. Because Americans are not supposed to be tourists, these cards are often referred to incorrectly as “visas” or “Cuban Visas.” Many articles (and even a couple of airline websites) incorrectly state that you need a visa to travel to Cuba. Some even say that you have to apply for one at the Cuban Embassy in Washington D.C. This only applies in a very few situations, such as with a few controversial journalists.
I am currently looking for a reliable source of less expensive Travel Cards that can be purchased ahead of time. Please let me now if you locate such a source.
Below is a list I compiled of non-charter flights from the U.S. to Cuba. For more information and schedules, visit the website of each airline. This information will be updated frequently and re-posted. I would appreciate hearing about any corrections and updates that you might come across.
USA-Cuba FLIGHTS 2017—Updated December 10, 2016
Alaska Airlines
Los Angeles: 1 daily round-trip flight
American Airlines
Miami: 4 daily round-trip flights
Charlotte: 1 daily round-trip flight
Delta Air Lines
Atlanta: 1 daily round-trip flight
New York JFK: 1 daily round-trip flight
Miami: 1 daily round-trip flight
Frontier Airlines
Miami: 1 daily round-trip flight
JetBlue
Fort Lauderdale: 2 daily round-trip flights (except one on Saturdays)
New York JFK: 1 daily round-trip flight
Orlando: 1 daily round-trip flight
Silver Airways
Ft Lauderdale to 9 Cuba Airports (but not Havana)
Southwest Airlines
Fort Lauderdale: 2 daily round-trip flights
Tampa: 1 daily round-trip flight
Spirit Airlines
Fort Lauderdale: 2 daily round-trip flights
Sun Country Airlines
Cuba Flights Pending—nothing scheduled currently
United Airlines
Houston Bush Intercontinental: 1 weekly round-trip flight (Saturday only)
Newark Liberty: 1 daily round-trip flight
I often receive questions about Cuba from potential travelers who know very little about the country. (Sad to say this is true for a large majority of Americans, as well as most U.S. travel agents.) Following is some information that should be helpful to those newly-interested, as well as for repeat Cuba travelers. I’ve already sent this information to members of our November Expedition—the first group to visit Cuba following our U.S. Presidential Election. This should be an interesting trip. I know we will be bombarded by questions from Cubans–they follow American cultural events very closely:
I am assuming that some of you know a lot about Cuba, and some do not. A few of you have been voraciously reading about Cuba and watching videos, and others have been really busy working up until the day before we depart.
As I have mentioned earlier, our educational model will be collaborative, rather than teacher-student. Each of you may know or discover things about Cuba that the rest of us don’t know. Many historical events are controversial, and I think it is important to appreciate various points of view.
Following are some links and references that may be helpful. If you find something that you believe is unique or particularly helpful, please let me know and I will send it to the others. On the other hand, if you just want a relaxing, enjoyable Caribbean vacation and don’t want to worry about details, that will be fine. But please be respectful when Cuban guides or officials are telling us about their country or answering our questions.
I am looking forward to our expedition (also known as our Post-Presidential Election Caribbean Escape!).
Best regards to your mental status during the next week. —Jim
RECOMMENDED GUIDEBOOK (also available in Kindle Edition for tablets and smartphones): Moon Cuba Guidebook, by Christopher P. Baker, 2015.
Monthly cultural magazine—my favorite; generally non-political: http://lahabana.com
On this site are other links to current articles about numerous topics involving Cuba.
Daily Newspaper (supportive of the Government, but informative about daily events): Granma: http://en.granma.cu/
Daily Newspaper, middle-of-road, often critical of the government: http://www.havanatimes.org
NOTE: After reading some of these articles, you might be surprised at how tolerant the government has become!
Website of Nursing School we will visit: https://translate.google.com/translate?http://hl=en&sl=es&u=http://instituciones.sld.cu/faenflidiadoce/&prev=searchhl=en&sl=es&u=http://instituciones.sld.cu/faenflidiadoce/&prev=search
Movie DVD/Netflix etc.: The Lost City; starring Dustin Hoffman, Andy Garcia, Bill Murray, released 2005. Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPZulsaHo8o
I think this film is really entertaining and has great Cuban music. It was produced by Andy Garcia, who was born in Havana and came to the U.S. at age 5 with his family in 1961. The film depicts how the Revolution affected and eventually divided a Cuban family. When the movie was released in 2005, there was almost no advertising or marketing, for some reason. I can’t imagine Dustin Hoffman agreeing to appear in a move that would not be widely advertised. There were some rumors that it was “Blacklisted” by Hollywood, but in my opinion it is middle-of-the-road and shows how Cubans became radically either “pro-Castro” or “anti-Castro.”
Music Video: Hotel Nacionál, by Gloria Estefan. She was born in Havana in 1957 and moved with her family to Miami after the Revolution. Her father fought for the exile invading force at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba and was captured. (Captured prisoners were later traded for food and medicine.) Gloria’s father later served with the U.S. military in Vietnam. He reportedly died eventually from exposure to Agent Orange.
Gloria grew up to become a successful band member, songwriter, and singer, while remaining very bitter towards Castro and the Cuban government. She has moderated her views in the last 2 years. Her music video “Hotel Nacionál” depicts Cuba in the 1950’s: A young American couple gets stranded during a storm, and seeks help by knocking on the side door of Havana’s Hotel Nacionál (where our travel group will have lunch). They encounter a restrained, subdued group of locals and tourists enjoying a quiet evening at the hotel. (NOTE—you can click to skip the ad.)
https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=hotel+nacional+estefan&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
I’ve received many emails and phone calls from potential Cuba travelers about Hurricane Matthew, and about hurricanes in general. The eye of Matthew just passed through the 40-mile windward passage between Cuba and Haiti, and is heading north towards the east cost of Florida. In Haiti, much destruction and over a hundred deaths have been reported. In Cuba, there was damage in the eastern part of the island, but no deaths so far.
Here are some important points about Caribbean hurricanes. They usually develop in the tropical North Atlantic along a line 15 degrees N between the Cape Verde Islands off the African Coast and the Caribbean Sea, north of the South American continent. Hurricanes in the northern hemisphere rotate counterclockwise and usually move northward. With regards to winds, the eye of the hurricane is the key. You may notice weather maps that show a hurricane a thousand miles across, but the severe winds occur around the eye, which is a region of mostly calm weather about 20-50 miles across.
Unlike with tornados and earthquakes, hurricanes usually offer an advance warning of 2-4 days, but you should pay close attention to the weather and note changes in direction. Many times rising water and storm surges cause much more widespread damage than from the winds around the eye. Both eastern Cuba and Haiti are mountainous, so it is not especially difficult to move to higher elevations inland to escape rising waters due to a storm surge. (However, large runoff from rainfall can make rivers rise rapidly.) But much of the east coast of Florida is as flat as a pancake. A storm surge of 5-7 feet would cause probably cause billions of dollars in damages and many deaths as the water moves many miles inland. As I write this, Matthew is heading north through The Bahamas east of Miami and is predicted to run along the central Florida coast on up into Georgia and the Carolinas and even states further north. One of the most significant things to watch for is the speed of the forward progress of Matthew. A fast-moving Category 3 hurricane may not cause as much damage as a slow-moving Category 1, because slow-moving hurricanes can drop many more amounts of rainfall over the same area.
Historically, the number of Caribbean Hurricanes decrease after October, and the 6-month hurricane season officially ends November 30. If you decide to visit a particular part of Cuba for a week at the peak of next year’s hurricane season (early September), the odds are just one in a hundred that a hurricane will significantly disrupt your plans.
I’ve visited Cuba several times at the peak of hurricane season during the last decade without worry. In August 2005, I spent 2 weeks at a Cuban oceanfront research station while monitoring Hurricane Katrina as its eye passed just a couple hundred miles to the north on its way to Miami, and onward to New Orleans. All we noticed was a slight increase in winds, and especially colorful sunsets. Today, unless a hurricane had already formed and was heading for Havana, I personally wouldn’t change my plans to visit Cuba.
Zika has been in the news for the last several months. A new outbreak of 5 cases in Miami Beach this week has caused many new concerns. The CDC in Atlanta has recommended that pregnant women not travel to Miami Beach (which has a yearly tourist economy estimated at $24 BILLION). Even so, the odds of contracting the virus while visiting Florida are very low.
Everything in life involves risk, including the act of traveling to cities and countries where Zika has been found. It helps to keep things in perspective. Although Zika is currently in the news, you have to consider the risks of travel, and the odds of being adversely affected by other things such as crime, gastro-intestinal illnesses, etc.
So—should you consider canceling your trip to Cuba because of Zika fears? Let’s look at the numbers: As of a week ago, Cuba (with a population of about 11 million) has confirmed exactly 3 people who were infected by local mosquitoes. The U.S. territory of Puerto Rico (with a third of the population) recorded over 8700 confirmed similar cases during the same period. (Oh–by the way–last month the U.S. Senate failed to pass a Zika funding bill before leaving for a 7-week vacation. Republicans and Democrats are both at fault, but for different reasons.)
These numbers speak for themselves. What’s the difference? Cuba had rapid-resonse teams on stand-by to tackle such problems, and military units were mobilized. Puerto Rico will have to wait for the U.S. Senate to reconvene after a seven-week vacation to eventually vote to fund the War against Zika. Now that Zika cases in the Miami area are rapidly increasing, perhaps something will be done.
My biggest immediate concern is for the people of Louisiana. Thousands of square miles have flooded. As the water slowly recedes, millions of new ponds and puddles will be created, in the suburbs and in remote areas. These will provide perfect breeding areas for Zika-carrying mosquitoes. There is a strong possibility for further wide-spread disaster, in addition to the massive flooding. Thank you, Senators—we hope you enjoyed your vacations.
For more information about how Cuba fought the Zika virus, click on the Scientific American article link below:
Cuba Travel Surge
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