LONDON – Virgin Atlantic cancels planned the resumption of service to Cuba, and Havana.
This is due to the complexity of flying into the pariah island.
After a month the airline announced that it will re-launch flights to Havana, it, unfortunately, did a u-turn, pulling the plug on the restart flight which is not good news for many holiday goers.
There were many fanfares when the airline posted: “After what feels like forever, we’re thrilled to be restarting flights to Havana on the 1st November on its social media outlets.
There was hope that the airline will re-fly the route after 2 years of pause.
The airline’s spokesperson spoke out regarding the cancellation of the flight: “As we emerge from the pandemic we’ve had to make careful decisions about our network, with regular review of flying and holiday schedules.”
“We’re disappointed to confirm that due to the unique complexities of Cuban operations, we have taken the difficult decision to withdraw plans to start London Heathrow – Havana services.
If plans were to follow through, the airline will fly from the 1st of November to Havana using the 787-9 installed with 264 seats in three classes, economy, premium, and business.
“Affected customers will be contacted from this weekend to inform them of the cancellations and their options, including a travel voucher or a full refund for their canceled flight or package holiday.”
“Those who booked via a third party such as a travel agent should contact them directly for their options.
“We sincerely apologize for disrupting customers’ plans to visit this vibrant and much-loved leisure destination. In recent years Virgin Atlantic operated the UK’s only direct scheduled flights to Havana, working closely with valued partners in Cuba.”
“We will keep options under review to return to this unique part of the Caribbean in the future.”
On March 2020 23rd, was the last flight to Havana performed by the airline. The airline has no intentions to plan the return to Cuba, and it looks like the cancellation will be indefinite.
The airline spokesperson said: “As it stands, we do not have plans to operate the service in Winter 2023”.
This throws many customers into great disappointment. Virgin Atlantic stated that booking can rebook their London-Havana-London ticket up to December 2023, convert their booing to a travel voucher, or request a cash refund.
The airline launched flights to Cuba back in 2005, being the only airline to offer non-stop flights between Havana and London. British Airways does not fly to Cuba.
The only flights between the UK and Cuba are being serviced by German holiday airline Condor, which flies from Manchester – to Varadero.
The demand between the UK and Cuba may exist, but the complexity of operations flying into Cuba is difficult, such as landing permits, insurance, parking fees, etc.
