1

use Copa

2

I was (and am still) considering Copa. It just that it adds a lot of travel time to my already very long trip from the West Coast (if I went Copa I would need a total of four flights: from LAX - Phoenix - Cancun - Panama City - Havana).

3

Forget aeromex, Cubana has new tupolev aircraft on this route now so you can go in style . I think they fly every day. Return air is only 279 usd and includes free rum. Cant beat that !

4

Could somebody please provide more info on the new planes for Havana-Cancun with Cubana? Safety record? Can somebody confirm that they fly every day/all flights? Thanks

After years of flying Cubana from Havana - Cancun, I switched to Taca direct destinations or Toronto from Varadero because of safety, but would prefer to fly to Cancun on cheap flights if possible.

5

If you are going to use COPA just fly LAX- PTY-HAV. I just posted you could fly TACA from LAX-SAL-HAV for $760 but that may be gone by now.
If you can get to MEX try Interjet.

6

#2 as well as the Copa suggestion can you re-route LAX-MxCity which also gives you as per #5 Interjet PLUS Cubana and Aeromex direct flights to Havana?
#3 yes still around $280USD for that route
#4 as I posted a few times recently most Tuesday and Thursday flights no longer operating. A few during Easter period.
The AeroMex news would seem to confirm the thoughts of a few here recently including Tudo_bem re the reduction in Cancun traffic to Havana. Maybe it is the increased volume of direct flights for those categories who are free to travel from USA direct to Cuba?

7

Ahh, own your own Cuban Tupolov T204 for USD$100:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TU-204-Tupolev-Cubana-TU204-Airplane-Wood-Model-FreShip-/350340247444

CUN-HAV passenger traffic calendar 2011 was 129,800 passenger segments/or in RT thats 64,900, with incoming US pasengers 5.6M segments/or converted to 2.3M RT's.

MEX-HAV passenger traffic calendar 2011 was 164K segments/82K RT equivalents, and US passenger traffic 4.5M segments/2.25 RT equivalents.

TIJ-MEX traffic for anyone interested was 853K segments/427 RT equivalents...

The CUN or MEX connect really has never been that popular for the ex-pat Cubano's from FL/East Coast - in response to "increased/new charter flights from the US". At the same time, non-Cubano licensed travelers (academics, etc) never used transit routing CUN/MEX - so to say changes in licensing will affect transit travel US-MEX-HAV is kindof some internet blggie stretch.

In response to increased US approved charters, Cuba used the increased flight traffic to justify increasing terminal fee's and fueling charges at Jose Marti, just like big boy airports do to maximize revenues.

However, these increased Havana fee/fuel costs put the biggest squeeze on the lowest fare intl originations - like Cancun.

Even general US media reports that the expanded charter flights will be hard pressed to be profitable even with a US pasenger increase from 150K up a 100K to 250K - and that projected increase as reported by the media is supposedly to come from increases in licensed travel from non-Cubano sources like academic/non-profit groups.

8

#7

I'm not sure who you mean by "non-Cubano licensed travelers (academics, etc)", but if you're referring to Americans who have legal permission from their government to travel to Cuba, your claim that not one of them has ever travelled to Cuba via Cancun or Mexico City is patently absurd. While in Cuba I have met licensed American travellers who have flown there from the USA via Mexico, and I have met licensed American travellers (students studying in Cuba and others) on flights from Cancun to Havana. Given the relatively frequent services between Cancun and many US cities and the previously frequent (up to 3 flights daily at one point) Havana-Cancun service, Cancun was for many the most convenient transfer point.

It's hard to imagine who else was crowding the Cancun-Havana flights out if there weren't a lot of people connecting to or from the USA--with or without licenses--in Cancun. Perhaps you believe that a couple of hundred Cubans every day were flying over to Cancun to play at swanky resorts on the Mayan Riviera. I wonder what vacation spot they'll choose now that there are so few flights to Cancun from Cuba. I would guess Rio de Janeiro or South Beach.

Edited by: Tudo_bem