RSW flights to Cuba suspended over paperwork problems

RSW flights to Cuba suspended over paperwork problems
By Maria Perez of the Naples Daily News Posted: Nov. 13, 2015

The commercial direct flight service between Havana and Southwest
Florida International Airport has been suspended, a week after flights
from Fort Myers began, said Danny Looney, CEO of Miami-based Choice Aire.

Looney, whose company operates the flights, said flight cancellations
began Monday due to technicalities on the paperwork. He said he couldn't
offer more details about the nature of those technicalities.

Looney said the passengers who were in Cuba and had booked a flight to
return to Florida for Monday or Friday were booked on other flights
operating to Miami. Air Choice, he said, is transporting the passengers
by land to Fort Myers.

Looney said all the passengers with purchased tickets are either being
accommodated in other flights, have been refunded the price of their
tickets, or in process of being refunded. All ticket sales have been
canceled.

Looney said he is optimistic the issues will be resolved and flights
will resume on November 23.

"Everything will be back on track," he said.

He added the carrier wanted to refund all their clients tickets in case
they want to choose another option to travel to Cuba.

Looney said they became aware of the technicalities on Monday morning,
and they decided to cancel the flights.

He doesn't know how many passengers have been affected, he said.

Olga Ramos, co-owner of the travel agency Por Cuba Viajo Express, which
makes reservations for the flights, said they don't know what the
problem is.

She said four passengers they booked who were supposed to travel from
Havana to Fort Myers on Friday were already on their way to Fort Myers
by land.

The direct flight service between Fort Myers airport and Havana started
on November 2, when 50 passengers, many of them Cubans who live in
Southwest Florida, boarded the inaugural flight to Havana. Many said the
new service was very convenient for the many passengers who want to
travel to Cuba without having to spend hours traveling to Miami.

The 45-minute flights were scheduled to fly from Havana to Fort Myers
and back twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays.

Source: RSW flights to Cuba suspended over paperwork problems -
http://www.naplesnews.com/business/local/rsw-flights-to-cuba-suspended-over-paperwork-problems-2474fabb-dc8d-74b0-e053-0100007f6879-347974681.html