By Nathan Hurst | The Detroit News
7:21 AM EDT, July 21, 2008
WINDSOR , CANADA - A new jet service taking off in December from Windsor
Airport will bring the allure of a forbidden Cuban vacation within
minutes of downtown Detroit.
Sunwing Airlines, a Canadian leisure carrier, will offer weekly flights
to Varadero, Cuba, a popular beach resort about 50 miles east of the
capital, Havana.
While U.S. citizens are mostly barred from spending money on travel to
Cuba, officials with the airline and airport expect Americans to make up
at least half the passengers on the route.
''On average, about 50 percent or more of passengers flying to Cuba from
Canada are from the U.S.,'' said Federica Nazzani, Windsor Airport's
manager. ''Given our unique geographic position near Metro Detroit,
we're expecting at least that.''
Because of decades-old government restrictions on Americans traveling to
Cuba, flights are limited from the U.S. to the Communist Caribbean
island nation south of Key West, Fla. Most Americans who do make the
trip must get there through a third country, such as Canada or Mexico.
An estimated 20,000 to 30,000 Americans travel illegally to Cuba each
year, on trips that were not approved by the U.S. government. Many do so
without any trouble, but those who are caught face penalties of up to
$250,000, though $3,000 to $10,000 is more the norm. The fines loom for
up to five years after the trip.
Jail time is possible, but no U.S. traveler appears to have been
incarcerated for making the journey.
Still, most are reluctant to talk publicly about their trips.
The Supreme Court struck down outright bans on American travel to Cuba,
but it upheld Treasury Department restrictions on Americans spending
money on travel to the country, and fines are based on how much the
traveler spends.
The U.S. government does permit some Americans -- more than 100,000
annually, according to the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council, a
nonprofit organization in New York -- to travel there on special
licenses. Those on religious missions, journalistic assignments or
academic study-abroad programs are among Americans who can obtain
Treasury Department permits to travel to Cuba.
Cuban expatriates are also allowed to visit family every few years, and
there's an exception for American travelers who have their expenses paid
by someone in another country.
Feds consider travel risky
The State Department, while not involved in the Treasury Department
restrictions, warns vacationers against travel to Cuba because of safety
concerns on the island, and particularly in Havana.
''It's a risky trip,'' said Josue Barrera, a State Department spokesman.
There are other hazards, as well. Should vacationers break the law or
get sick while in Cuba, diplomatic help is limited. The United States
hasn't maintained an embassy in Havana for decades, so tourists in
trouble have to work through the U.S. interests section of the Swiss
embassy. American health insurance also is void in Cuba.
But for those willing to go, Cuba's tourism ministry promises miles of
white sand beaches, clean Caribbean waters and luxurious resorts with
the distinctive flair of old-school opulence made popular in the 1940s
and '50s by American travelers to Havana.
Canadian travel agencies say Americans are faithful buyers of Cuban
vacation packages.
''We certainly get a lot of business from Americans,'' said Martha
Chapman, spokeswoman for Red Seal Tours of Toronto, a seller of sun
destination packages and parent company of Sunwing. ''Many of them book
through agents on the Canadian side. There's nothing stopping them here.''
Airport expands
The Sunwing flights from Windsor bring access to Cuba four hours closer
to Detroit; the next closest direct flight leaves from Toronto's Pearson
International Airport.
Sunwing also plans direct flights to Cuba from an airport in Sault Ste.
Marie, Ontario, within minutes of Michigan's border. The fast-growing
airline also plans to add a flight to Santo Domingo in the Dominican
Republic.
Nazzani, Windsor Airport's manager, said the addition of Sunwing is part
of the airport's $600,000 expansion that will bring a new
10,000-square-foot pre-flight lounge.
She said the airport is also in discussions with other carriers,
Canadian and American, about expanding service to the facility, which
launches flights to Toronto via Air Canada Jazz, a regional feeder
carrier. In particular, Nazzani said she hopes the new vacation
destination routes will prompt American travelers to consider Windsor
Airport as a travel option.
''We're not as big as Detroit (Metropolitan Airport), but we've
certainly got some unique options,'' she said.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/cuba/sfl-0721cubaflights,0,4029020.story
No comments:
Post a Comment