U.S. charter flights carry a rapidly growing number of visitors to Cuba
annually, as major carriers try to position themselves for the start of
unfettered travel to the island.
By John Schmeltzer. Tribune Staff Writer.
Chicago Tribune. February 13, 2001
MIAMI -- For phone operator Betty Hernandez, it was the most expensive
90-mile trip of her life.
Among the mountain of luggage she dragged through Miami International
Airport recently, one bag held $2,000 in cash. Others held thousands of dollars
worth of clothing and medicine for needy relatives. Stuffed in her purse were
the costly travel documents clearing the way for her first visit to Havana since
her family fled communism in 1965.
And, in some ways the most valuable of all, she held the $379 ticket for a
45-minute Miami-to-Havana plane ride aboard a United Airlines charter flight.
The 45-year-old Hernandez is among a growing cadre of Americans buying
tickets for charter flights and making the once-forbidden puddle jump to Fidel
Castro's Cuba from the U.S.
Since the two governments started easing travel restrictions in 1999,
thousands of passengers have flown to Cuba on chartered aircraft ranging from
19-seat Beechcrafts to United's huge Boeing 777s.
On any given day, at least two flights depart Miami International for
Havana. And during Christmas or Easter, the number soars to as many as 12 daily.
Behind this fast-growing business is a high-stakes marketing battle among
four of the world's largest airlines--American, Continental, Delta and United.
Eager to carve out a niche in what could become a huge tourist trade, the
big carriers are pushing to win the hearts and minds of travelers to post-Castro
Cuba. And as the airlines add flights and services, passengers such as Hernandez
reap the benefits.
"The airlines are definitely trying to position themselves because the
market is going to be huge," said Robert Hodel, co-owner of Tico Travel of
Ft. Lauderdale, one of five companies licensed by the U.S. government to arrange
charters and contract with the individual carriers.
For its part, the U.S. Department of Transportation is promising a
free-for-all in the race for commercial conquest of Cuba in the air. United,
Continental and Delta should expect no preferences just because they owned the
routes when Cold War politics led to a ban on direct flights in 1962, the
government has said.
And, of course, certain travel restrictions remain in effect, making a trip
to Cuba unlike any other for U.S. citizens.
These aren't typical international jaunts. Each flight has a mechanic aboard
and the equipment needed, such as a spare tire, to fix minor problems in Cuba,
where ground service is limited. To discourage troublemakers who may oppose
travel between the two nations, the U.S. government requires that a pair of
security agents ride on each flight, seated fore and aft.
Until two years ago, Hernandez's options would have been severely
restricted.
The U.S. imposed an embargo on commercial flights nearly 40 years ago,
following the Cuban missile crisis, although an estimated several thousand U.S.
citizens defied the embargo annually by flying from Mexico or Canada.
Former President Jimmy Carter began allowing visits for humanitarian reasons
in 1978, but his successor, Ronald Reagan, imposed new limits four years later.
Academics were granted expanded rights to visit Cuba for research purposes
beginning in 1994, followed by some business visits in 1998. But it wasn't until
1999 that U.S. officials relaxed restrictions on the charter operations.
Moreover, a new law allowing limited sales of U.S. food and drugs to Cuba, due
to take effect next month, is expected to further boost demand.
Thanks to the relaxed restrictions, and a growing urgency among some former
residents to visit their homeland before they are too old to do so, travel to
Cuba is soaring. In an effort to take pressure off Miami's airport, charters
were added last year from Los Angeles and New York City.
Last year, an estimated 163,000 U.S. citizens visited Cuba, nearly double
the number from 1999, according to the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council, a
New York-based group that specializes in business issues.
Prices for charter flights are fixed under an agreement by five charter
operators and approved by the U.S. government. People sitting in first-class pay
the same as those in the back of the plane. As a result, the only competition
between the charter operators is the kind of plane they can market to their
customers.
The passengers gathered at Miami International had held out for a flight
operated by United or American Airlines, the world's two largest carriers--a
matter of prestige for travelers.
"They want to go on the biggest airlines," said Maria Aral, vice
president of ABC Charters Inc. of Miami, which contracts with United and
American for its charter flights to Cuba.
In a similar vein, United has been using the new Boeing 777 for the charters
it flies, partly to show the Cuban government it is providing the best. American
also has rolled out the red carpet, using new 180-seat Boeing 757s.
"We've said before that we want to serve Cuba," said Joe Hopkins,
a spokesman for Elk Grove Township-based United.
"There is a large Cuban-American community in the U.S. that we could
serve. In addition, there are business opportunities, especially in
manufacturing, along with the potential for tourism."
United, American, Delta and Continental are discussing with transportation
department officials how quickly it will move to approve commercial flights once
the travel ban is lifted. That's not expected to happen until after the trade
embargo ends, which may not occur until after the 74-year-old Castro leaves
power or dies.
All four carriers also are seeking to lock up agreements with travel
operators with links to the Cuban-American community that will ensure that the
carriers capture a significant piece of the market if they obtain approval to
offer service to Cuba.
Aral said American has begun discussions with her about establishing a
marketing agreement between her firm and American once the travel ban is ended.
She now markets her charters as being aboard United or American planes, while
Hodel pushes his links with Continental.
This year, charter operations are to be expanded to Atlanta, when Delta
launches service. New Orleans and Ft. Lauderdale also are hoping to soon launch
charters.
But Chicago isn't likely to join the list of cities offering the charters
any time soon, because city officials have not applied for a required license
from the Treasury Department, said John S. Kavulich II, president of the
U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council.
And besides, by the time Chicago applies and receives a license, if it were
to do so, scheduled service to Cuba may well have resumed, Aral said.
Then people like Hernandez, the telephone operator, would be able to just
buy a plane ticket and go, rather than relying on charter services, Aral said.
And that expansion in service could spell the end of Aral's thriving business. | 