Tampa’s charter flights to Cuba could suffer from new commercial flights

Tampa's charter flights to Cuba could suffer from new commercial flights

Commercial flights are expected to be more popular than charters because
tickets will be available online and frequent flyer miles can be used in
the purchase. Also, baggage is not transferred from connecting flights
through charter services.
JUSTIN GRIFFIN
Tampa Bay Times

The daily Southwest flight from Tampa to Havana will create new
competition for a handful of charter operators who have offered flights
to and from Cuba and Tampa for years.

Since charter services began offering flights in 2011, nearly 270,000
passengers have flown between Tampa and Cuba. The airport has seen
double-digit growth rates in the number of passengers using TIA to get
to Cuba since then. That includes a 16 percent spike in travelers last year.

"To be honest, I don't know how these new flights are going to affect my
business," said Tessie Aral, president of ABC Charters, one of three
charter companies that offer flights to Cuba from Tampa. "There will be
a lot of commercial flights now, more than there is demand I think
because of the cap on tourism. But I think it will all depend on what
pricing Southwest puts out there. We'll have to wait and see."

Commercial flights are expected to be more popular than charters because
tickets will be available online and frequent flyer miles can be used in
the purchase. Also, baggage is not transferred from connecting flights
through charter services. And if a charter is delayed and passengers
miss a connecting flight, they would not get a refund or other compensation.

In 2012, 41,500 passengers flew to Cuba from Tampa after just one year
of service. That number jumped to 71,400 travelers in 2015. Among the
charter offerings out of Tampa airport, flights to airports in Cuba have
gone from two to nine in peak season.

ABC Charters offers flights on contracted JetBlue and American planes
four times a week in Tampa to and from destinations like Havana and
Santa Clara, and sometimes Holguin in high seasonal periods like the
winter and the summer. Aral's Miami-based company also offers flights to
Cuba from Miami.

U.S. charter flights pay Cuba landing fees of $73 to $148 per passenger
today, based on age and whether they are traveling as individuals or in
a tour group. But those prices are likely to decline.

Charter flights from the United States currently pay much higher landing
fees than those that originate elsewhere. For instance, a U.S. charter
flight on a 162-seat Boeing 737-800 might pay fees of up to $24,000. The
same plane arriving from another country might pay under $400.

In February, the U.S. and Cuban governments signed a non-binding
aviation arrangement that allows U.S.-based commercial flights to land
and sets certain guidelines – including one prohibiting discriminatory fees.

Aral said that JetBlue or the airports in Cuba have not canceled her
flights or contracts since the tentative announcement about commercial
Cuba flights from the U.S. Department of Transportation on Thursday.

Ken Qualls, CEO of Flight Management Solutions in Boca Raton, an
aviation consulting firm, sees room for growth in commercial and charter
flights.

"This won't kill their business but it will change it," he said. "There
is a need for a niche service that offers flights on your schedule and
offers tours and other perks."

Qualls also anticipates growth for corporate and private plane charter
business as more U.S.-based businesses look to expand relationships there.

In addition to flights, ABC Charters offers tour packages and hotel
bookings. Aral said a lot of her business comes from group travel. The
other two companies offering charter flights out of Tampa are Cuba
Travel Services and Island Travel & Tours Ltd.

Source: Tampa's charter flights to Cuba could suffer from new commercial
flights | In Cuba Today -
http://www.incubatoday.com/news/article88417627.html