Getting to Cuba for $40,000 on a private jet

Getting to Cuba for $40,000 on a private jet
Published: Sept 30, 2015 10:02 a.m. ET
By CAITLIN HUSTON REPORTER

If you and seven friends can scrap together $40,000, getting to Cuba
just got easier.

Private jet booking service Victor will begin offering direct private
flights on Monday from 19 cities in the U.S. to Havana, Cuba. The
company's service allows users to enter a destination, see price quotes
and then book a private flight.

Travel to Cuba for U.S. citizens is still limited as travelers have to
be approved to visit under 12 visa categories. Victor has partnered with
Cuba Educational Travel, which organizes travel to Cuba under
educational visas, so that its fliers are approved to visit the country
and have a set itinerary while there.

The itinerary could include cigar and rum tastings with country experts,
riding in 1950s American cars and dinners with prominent cultural
figures and historians, the company said. For a group of eight staying
four nights, prices start at $40,000.

David Young, senior vice president at Victor, said the company is adding
the service because of growing demand for travel to Cuba. "It's the
hottest travel destination," said Young.

The U.S. has recently moved to normalize relations with Cuba after more
than 50 years. Restrictions on trade and travel have been eased, and the
U.S. Embassy in Havana reopened in August.

JetBlue JBLU, +1.43% offers weekly direct chartered flights from New
York's John F. Kennedy airport and said this week that it will add a
second flight starting in December.

Victor acknowledges that the private flights aren't cheap, and says it
is aimed at a high net worth clientele. Many of the company's members
are involved in entertainment or sports, he said.

Being a member is free, and Victor has more than 40,000. The company
takes a fee from each booking and partners with different jet operators.
The company, which has raised $26 million in private equity, operates
national and international flights with offices in London, New York and
Santa Monica, Calif.

Source: Getting to Cuba for $40,000 on a private jet - MarketWatch -
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/getting-to-cuba-for-40000-on-a-private-jet-2015-09-30?siteid=rss&rss=1