With the latest travel restrictions on Cuba, airlines are re-evaluating their service to Havana, Cuba. Earlier this year, Southwest discontinued flights to 2 of 3 Cuban airports. Now, it was announced that Alaska Airlines discontinues flights to Cuba. But, there is still time to use your Alaska Airline miles and Companion Pass to fly to Cuba before service is ended.
Related posts:
- Southwest approved to fly to Cuba
- Southwest abandons Cuba airports
- How to redeem the Alaska Airlines Companion Pass
In This Post
Alaska Airlines discontinues flights to Cuba
Alaska Airlines started flying to Cuba on January 5, 2017. With this change in routes, the airline will have flown to Cuba for just over a year. Not a lot of time.
“Travel is about making connections, and we were honored to have played a role in helping people make personal connections by traveling between the U.S. and Cuba,” said Andrew Harrison, chief commercial officer for Alaska Airlines. “We continually evaluate every route we fly to ensure we have the right number of seats to match the number of people who want to go there.”
The press release goes on to say:
About 80 percent of Alaska’s flyers to Havana visited under a U.S. allowance for individual “people-to-people” educational travel. Changes to U.S. policy last week eliminated that allowance.
With the expected reduced demand due to increased travel restrictions on Cuba, this move makes total sense. Unfortunately, many travelers have been waiting to book flights to Cuba due to reports of lack of internet/cell phone access, difficulty in obtaining cash while in the country, and few choices of name-brand hotels.
According to the Alaska Airlines press release, the last flight from Los Angeles to Havana, Cuba will take place on Monday, January 22, 2018.
Alaska guests who have travel booked to Havana after Jan. 22 will be rebooked on another airline at no additional cost or offered a full refund.
If you’re looking to be on this one-way flight, the cash prices are $199 for Economy or $514 for First Class.
Unfortunately, award space was not available on the final flight. But, I was able to find award space if you wanted to use cash and miles. You can book this one-way flight for 10,000 Alaska Airlines miles and $113.10.
Personally, using 10,000 Alaska Airline miles to save $86 is a pretty poor use of Alaska Airlines miles, but the option is available if you want to use it.
To book, simply go to AlaskaAir.com and select LAX as your departure and HAV as your destination.
Will you enjoy visiting Cuba?
I know many people who have traveled to Cuba and have thoroughly enjoyed their experience, even if the country lacks many of the modern conveniences that we tend to take for granted.
In some ways, this may lead to an even better travel experience. No phone calls or emails from work. Staying in “casa particulars” instead of cookie-cutter hotels. Eating at palapas instead of McDonald’s. A truly authentic experience that is like going back in time.
Have you seen the cool US cars? The Cuban people have kept these cars in such great condition that car collectors here in the US would be jealous!
The Bald Thoughts
If you want to visit Cuba, I would highly recommend booking a trip now before even more travel restrictions are put in place. Now that it was announced that Alaska Airlines discontinues flights to Cuba, you have to wonder which other airline is next. With most domestic flights at or near capacity, airlines are constantly re-evaluating their routes to figure out how to maximize their revenue for shareholders. As the travel restrictions cause demand to decrease, more flights will be discontinued. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity.
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