CUBANS: ISLE BE SEEING YOU
NYers flying high on JFK’s first departure to Cuba
Now boarding: New York City’s first regular flight to Havana since 1961.
JetBlue started roundtrip service from JFK Airport to Cuba on Friday — the first major airline to offer a weekly connection from the city since JFK, the president, restricted travel to the Caribbean island more than 50 years ago.
Ground staff celebrated the inaugural trip by flying a massive Cuban flag at JetBlue’s terminal Gate No. 21. They waved and cheered as passengers — including Cubans who hadn’t been back in over a decade — boarded the plane.
“I have butterflies in my stomach,” said Lazaro Iglesias, 44, of Kearny, NJ, who was returning to Cuba for the first time since he immigrated to the US in 2002.
His luggage trolley was piled 5feet high with boxes full of clothing and electronics, presents for his family that are unavailable in Havana.
The airline announced it would offer flights from New York to Havana every Friday in response to eased travel restrictions.
“Years ago this was dream,” Iglesias beamed.
Still, the jet was less than half full, with only around 60 passengers on the 150seat Airbus 320.
That’s because travel requirements — which limit
a trips to purposes such as business, education, government or aid work or family visitation — continue to impede easy passage.
“I’m going to see Mommy’s home!” shouted Americanborn 6yearold Richard Ramos. It was the first time his mother, Amylis Bons, 32, of Elizabeth, NJ, was traveling back to Cuba since leaving in 2007.
“I’m going to give my parents a big hug,” Bons said. “I never thought I would see them again.”