Alaska Airlines aircraft ©BriYYZ/ Flickr
The Seattle based Alaska Airlines is preparing for what is probably a historic moment: the launch of their first commercial flight to Cuba. And it will not be a one time thing, the company will start regular non stop flights to Havana, the country’s capital in January 2016.
The news was reported in September by and many hope that it will bring a somewhat easier and more affordable means to visit the, somewhat isolated, Caribbean country.
What we know so far about the Alaska Airlines flight to Cuba
It is known that Alaska Airlines got approval from the United States government, more precisely the Department of Transportation, to operate the first commercial flights to the Cuban capital in over 50 years. Some authorization from the Cuban government was still missing, but we hope that will also arrive soon.
Square in Havana ©Artur Staszewski/ Flickr
The airline will operate non stop flights to Havana on a daily basis departing from Los Angeles starting from January 5 2017. Another Alaska Airlines flight will fly out from Havana to Los Angeles on the same day. If you start your trip from Seattle or Anchorage you will enjoy convenient connections with these new Cuba flights.
These flights will depart from Los Angeles at 8:50 AM local time, while return flights start from Havana every day at 5:55 PM. The trip will take about eights hours each way and planes are non stop. What is probably even more important to know is the approximate price of these fares. You can book cheap flights to Havana with Alaska Airlines starting from $229 one way.
What you need to travel to Cuba
Though you have an easier and cheaper way to travel to Cuba from the US, you still need some things if you want to visit this beautiful country. First of all, it is still not allowed to fly to Cuba just as a tourist, you need an authorization to travel to the country, need to have the necessary documentation, enough cash for the length of your stay and evidence of existing accommodation for you.
The Malecon in Havana ©Bryan Ledgard/ Flickr
You can get authorization if your travel has one of the following purposes: family visit, humanitarian work, educational or religious activity, business meting or professional research, participation in a workshop, competition or performance, journalistic activities, official US government business, some authorized transactions and a few more. Note that you will have to prove with documents that one of these really is why you travel to Cuba.
Travelers will need to acquire a Visa for their trip to Cuba, but also have to arrange Cuba specific insurance for their travel prior to departure with ESICUBA. Naturally, you must not forget your passport at home wither if you wish to get further than the airport upon landing in Havana.
If you want to be among the first ones to fly to Cuba with Alaska Airlines, you can start searching for your cheap flight to Havana right now, in the box by comparing some travel sites.
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