In a quiet residential Havana neighborhood, silversmith Roxana Vargas’s ROX jewelry company is both a deeply personal journey of self-discovery and a symbol of progress for Cuba’s emerging cuentapropistas (entrepreneurs) class. The Cuba Journal visited Roxana’s workshop to learn more about her jewelry making and her personal story. Inspired by her father’s belief in her … Read more
At the moment, there are 189 public WIFI locations in Cuba. The official rate is $2 per hour for access at a public WIFI location. Hotels often sell Internet access cards at a premium, usually $5 per hour for access within their facility. Network congestion and slow speeds characterize Internet use in Cuba. Generally, you … Read more
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) awarded United Airlines final approval to launch service to Havana from two of its hubs. Beginning Nov. 29, United will start daily nonstop flights to the Cuban capital from New York/Newark and Saturday nonstop service from Houston with both services subject to government approval. Bookings are available immediately. Since … Read more
Delta will begin daily service to Havana, Cuba, from Atlanta, Miami and New York–JFK on Dec. 1, 2016, following today’s announcement by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). Flights will be available for sale beginning Sept. 10, 2016. All routes are subject to Cuban regulatory approval. On June 10, 2016, the DOT issued an order … Read more
Luminaries gathered around the gate at Ft. Lauderdale International Airport where JetBlue flight 387 to Santa Clara, Cuba was about to become the first scheduled flight between the U.S. and Cuba since October 1962. What makes the flight so important is that it was the first flight to operate under a bilateral Air Transport Agreement signed by the … Read more
Overview of New Cuba Flights On June 10, 2016, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) issued an order authorizing six U.S. airlines to provide scheduled passenger flights between various U.S. cities and cities in Cuba other than Havana. DOT’s order grants the applications of American, Frontier, JetBlue, Silver Airways, Southwest, and Sun Country. These carriers … Read more
Silver Airways has received Cuban government approval to operate regularly scheduled commercial service to Cuba, including service from Fort Lauderdale to Santa Clara, Camagüey, Cienfuegos, and Holguín. In addition, Silver is seeking Cuban government approval for service from Fort Lauderdale to Santiago, Cayo Coco, Varadero, Cayo Largo, and Manzanillo. Silver Airways’ first flight 100 is … Read more
New commercial air service to Cuba is part of the process of normalizing relations between the US and Cuba. Existing flights between the two nations have been limited to what is called “charter” flights because – technically speaking – the flights are not part of a “regular” schedule and do not operate under a bilateral … Read more
On a recent trip to Cuba, your editors at the Cuba Journal witnessed first-hand what limitations exist when connecting to the Internet from Cuba. Our hotel’s wifi internet access performed adequately, but the problems we encountered attempting to connect to many US-based websites appeared to stem from blockages not from the Cuban side but from … Read more
At first landing in Havana, I witnessed the sunlight detonate a rich variety of patinas and light. This first touch – while pleasing – was unnatural to my eye’s modern training to associate newness with relevancy. In time, my encounter with the city had a texture of its own as I was transformed by my … Read more
