It's been a long time coming but there's good news for Cuban-Americans in the Tampa Bay area who want to travel back to their home country, as officials in Tampa announced Wednesday afternoon that a charter airline company has received the first landing rights for flights from Tampa International Airport to Havana.
Officials say the first flight out by ABC Charters could begin as soon as September 10.
Hillsborough area Democratic Congresswoman Kathy Castor has been a big catalyst in making such flights a reality, and called today's announcement "the last piece of the puzzle."
“This is fantastic news for the Tampa Bay community. The Tampa Bay region has one of the highest Cuban-American populations in this country, but for too long, families have had to travel to Miami in order to get to Cuba. They have had to spend extra money for hotel rooms and plane tickets to do so, making an already expensive journey even more cumbersome. Tampa Bay’s Cuban-Americans deserve the same seamless access to the island nation as those who live in the Miami area. I have heard the struggles of those with limited travel opportunities to Cuba, especially for families trying to visit loved ones or see sick or dying relatives.”
This article appears in Jul 21-27, 2011.