OIA starting direct flights to Cuba

Direct weekly flights to Cuba from Orlando International Airport will start July 8, marking the first time in decades that people can leave from Central Florida to the island nation 90 miles south of Key West.

Island Travel & Tours, based in Tampa, will fly each Wednesday from Orlando International to Havana, said company owner Bill Hauf.

A roundtrip coach ticket will cost $429 for the hour-and-15-minute flight, he said.

“We’re really excited. This is a great location,” Hauf said of Orlando.

The trip is possible because President Barack Obama in December relaxed strict travel restrictions to Cuba, which has been the subject of an American embargo since 1960, or a year after Fidel Castro overthrew the Fulgencio Batista government and established a Communist regime.

The new rules allow travel agents and carriers to book flights to Cuba for American citizens without the permission of the U.S. government, as was previously the case.

Essentially, travelers have to fill out a form and choose one of 12 reasons for the trip, ranging from Cuban Americans visiting family to Americans who are going for religious, educational or cultural reasons.

Americans also will be allowed to use credit cards, which previously was prohibited.

Vicki Jaramillo, senior director of air service development and marketing at Orlando International, said Island Travel approached the airport about establishing a Cuba route.

“It’s kind of a progression that Orlando would get this,” she said, adding that international airports in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Tampa already offer the service.

Orlando International, she said, will be able to attract travelers from Central Florida and parts of the East Coast, all the way north to Jacksonville.

The announcement was bittersweet for Cuban Americans such as George Rodon and Bertica Cabrera Morris.

Rodon, who was chief of staff for former Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty, said he has no intention of returning to the island he last saw in 1961. That’s when he emigrated to the United States with his mother.

People who have never been to Cuba, he said, consider it “exotic because it has been under wraps for so long.”

But, he said, as long as Raul Castro is in charge, the government will benefit more from American tourists rather than for the Cuban people.

“What you may see is not the real Cuba,” Rodon said. “It’s up to you, but just be aware.”

Morris, who left Cuba in 1967, said she would love to go back to her homeland, but not until she is certain the Castro government will treat people with respect.

“I’m excited,” Morris said, “but these guys are not changing, and that worries me.”

Hauf said he is renting a Boeing 737 from a Phoenix company that carries 120 passengers. If demand is great enough, Hauf said, he intends to start a Sunday flight, too.

In addition to flights, Hauf said, he can provide travelers with visas, as well as accommodations and transportation.