Southwest Soars with 1st Miami-Fort Lauderdale Area to Cuba Flight

TAMPA, FL — Just weeks before Southwest Airlines will begin offering nonstop flights from Tampa to Havana, the first flight from the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area went off without a hitch.

Southwest joined JetBlue and American Airlines on Sunday in offering regular flights from the Miami area to Cuba following the historic thaw in relations that began two years ago and culminated with the re-opening of embassies that had been shuttered for more than five decades in the United States and its island neighbor.

The Sunday, Nov. 13, inaugural flight departed from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport at 11:05 a.m. and touched down less than an hour later in Varadero, a resort town in the province of Matanzas.

The airline told Patch that 143 passengers made the maiden flight along with a five-member Southwest crew — all decked out in Cuban-style hats as the aircraft pulled away to an orchestra playing Caribbean music and a drumroll
by Tito Puente Jr.

“By the end of this year we’ll offer six daily round trips between two Florida gateways and three Cuban cities as the work continues to open a new, five-gate international concourse here in Fort Lauderdale next summer,” said Steve Goldberg, the company’s vice president of ground operations and executive ambassador to Florida in announcing the new service.

Service from Tampa International Airport to Havana is set to begin on Dec. 12 subject to final approval from the Cuban government. The airline will begin once daily flights from Fort Lauderdale to Santa Clara, Cuba on Dec. 15, also subject to approvals.

Southwest announced "$59one-way" fares for Tampa and Fort Lauderdale back in October.

Tampa residents who want to hop on board a flight to Havana will have to meet a number of regulations. Here's what you need to know before you book your flight, according to Southwest:

• To enter Cuba, the U.S. government requires every person to acknowledge they are eligible to travel to Cuba under one of 12 approved categories or a general license.
• The 12 categories include family visits; official business of the U.S. government, foreign governments and certain intergovernmental organizations; journalistic activities; professional research or meetings; educational activities and exchanges; religious activities; public performances, clinics, workshops, athletics/other competitions and exhibitions; humanitarian projects; support for the Cuban people; activities of private foundations, research or educational institutes; exportation, importation or transmission of information or information material; certain authorized export transactions.
• If you are traveling under a general license, you must document your full-time schedule of activities consistent with your designated license category. The U.S. government has up to five years after your trip to request this schedule.
• You will need a U.S. passport that is valid for at least six months after your return date along with a two-part visa before your trip. You will be required to present the remaining half of your visa upon your return to the United States.
• You can purchase a visa online prior to your departure through Cuba Travel Services or by calling 800-617-1902. You can make arrangements to pick up your Cuba visa on the day of travel inside the Fort Lauderdale or Tampa airports at the CTS counter in the check-in area, or at your departure gate.
• Customers who do not purchase their Cuba visa online can also purchase their visas on the day of travel at the CTS ticket counters in both airports.

Earlier this year, the Carnival Corporation made history when it began offering cruises to Cuba. The company’s new Fathom set sail for the first time to Cuba on May 1.

To find out more about Southwest’s flights to Cuba, visit the airline’s website.

Patch editor Paul Scicchitano contributed to this story.

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