Flying to Cuba on Choice Aire

We've heard it for months now: Get to Cuba before it changes. The challenge, however, is figuring out how to get there and what hoops to jump through. There's the matter of getting a visa, securing other government paperwork and making basic travel arrangements, from hotel to transportation to finding worthwhile activities.

Among the agencies and airlines already serving this booming Caribbean travel market is Choice Aire. A former pilot with decades of experience in the cockpit, the boardroom, and specifically with the Cuban air-travel market, CEO Danny Looney founded the company in July 2014.

Choice Aire is a non-traditional airline that offers both charter flights and regular passenger flights, with Swift Airlines serving as its flight operator. It's a welcome addition to the market. According to Looney, there are currently only 14 U.S. airports approved for direct flights into Cuba, and just eight airlines can land there.

Based in Miami, Choice has spent the past year building a customer base primarily among leisure travelers, including the LGBT market. It took off with Looney's Cuban expertise, adding direct flights there from several U.S. destinations, like Miami, Nashville, and Atlantic City. By October, Looney says the company's routes will be reorganized to focus almost exclusively on Cuba.

A Changing Tourist Landscape

"The travel situation in Cuba is changing just about every day," says Looney. "It's becoming an Americanized market, and the demand is far higher than the supply."

Choice Aire has answered the call by shifting the company's flight plans to more direct routes into Havana from Miami, and from Baltimore and Fort Myers, Florida likely in place by late 2015. The centrally located city of Santa Clara (Cuba's fifth largest) also is expected to join Choice's roster come fall.

Looney says that working as an "indirect" airline allows Choice to focus on services and sales, while letting the experts at Swift Airlines handle FAA regulations and licensing, airplane maintenance, and crew logistics. Choice's airfares stay low -- a recent search showed $399 for roundtrip between Miami and Havana -- and include amenities from yesteryear like in-flight meals for both First Class and Tourist (a more appealing name than 'Economy'), free baggage check and no added pre-boarding fees. The company also sets itself apart by arranging Cuban tourist visas for its passengers and other paperwork required to visit this burgeoning destination.

"A lot of companies want to do Cuba, but they don't know how," says Looney. "We handle contracts and accommodations -- the whole package."

Currently, Choice Aire offers a range of travel packages to Cuba through its website and call center, including tours that explore the local culinary scene, Jewish history and "culture, art and lifestyle" of the island. Trips span three to seven nights, with rates starting around $3,000 that include airfare from Miami, activities, transportation within Cuba, and, for some packages, hotel.

The company also will accommodate �-la-carte travel plans for those who prefer to explore independently, though Looney says especially for first-time visitors, a pre-arranged tour is wise during these transitional times.

"Cuba's not a cheap place to visit," he says. "You're paying for the mystique of it, before it changes and becomes like Canc�n or any other tropical destination. Right now it's preserved and unlike anywhere else."

The New South Beach?

Looney says gay, lesbian and trans travelers are welcome throughout Cuba, and pointed out that Mariela Castro -- Cuban President Ra�l Castro's daughter -- has made great inroads for the community. Though she is herself married to a man, she is a prominent LGBT rights activist, and serves as director of the Cuban National Center for Sex Education (CENESEX) in Havana.

Gay bars and clubs are still popular in cities all over Cuba, and Looney goes so far as to compare Havana to Miami's South Beach for its gay-friendly atmosphere. His own airline proudly welcomes LGBT travelers, and encourages them to consider booking full packages for the convenience and assurance of a safe, fun and well-planned trip.

"Nobody's flown more people [to Cuba] than us," he says. "Over the years we have flown thousands to and from Cuba. Everyone wants to go back."

Learn more at www.flychoiceaire.com.