First Southwest Flight Departs Miami Area for Cuba

Southwest Airlines 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.

Sunday’s inaugural flight 3914 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 roundtrips 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 Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International and Tampa International Airport to Havana begins on Dec. 12 subject to the requisite approvals 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.

With the new routes, Southwest is offering $59 one-way flight deals from Fort Lauderdale to Santa Clara with a 14-day advance purchase today through Nov. 20 for flights between Dec. 15 and April 24, 2017.

Some lucky area residents also were given $100 promotional gift cards by the airline to mark the new routes, according to the airline.

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.