Cubana de Aviacion question

[El Grifo]

I need to fly from ACE to HAV somtime in February.

I can route through MAD with Iberia, or I can fly directly and more cheaply from LPA with Cubana de Aviacion.

This is not a company I know much about.

Can anyone give me a heads up on this outfit and what aircraft type the use for this route, all of their offices are closed on Saturdays, only pre-recorded messages are available.

[Boss Raptor]

DC10 usually to Europe however IL62 has been coming to MAD quite often recently. Guess out of LPA will be a transiting/fuel stop IL62 service.

Personally I have no problems with flying Cubana, people will no doubt cite their 3 recent crashes however when equated across their history this incident record is not really abnormal. From my internal experience some years back they are/were a well trained highly motivated bunch.

[El Grifo]

Thanks Boss

You are possibly right. I am sure I have spotted a kind of VC10 copy sitting on the apron an LPA. That'll be the IL 62, I imagine.

I noted from their website the they also run an Airbus 330-200.

I think I would be happier flying in that.

How old will these IL 62's be?

[mr.777]

Flew to HAV in April last year.Paid an upgrade to fly Air Jamaica as I had reservations about flying CU....I should have taken Boss Raptors advice.The flight with Air Jam. was appalling.IFE knackered on the way out and an horrendous 5 hour delay on the way back.
What annoyed me even more was seeing the shiny new A330 at HAV.For the upgrade cost to fly JM,I could have flown business on CU.I would fly CU definitely,although I don't know what eqpt they use to MAD.
Have a good trip!
777

P.s. A330 belongs to Novair (scandanavian operator).DC10s now defunct since AOM folded....you can see them parked up at HAV.

[Boeing 7E7]

For what it's worth, if you do a google search for "airline crashes and safety records", the website found indicates that Cubana have pretty much the worst safety record in the world!

Good luck though.

[GlueBall]

Cubana (http://www.cubana.cu)

[El Grifo]

Iberia via MAD riding a 747 = € 811

Cuban via LPA riding an IL 62 = € 736

Hello Iberia !!!!

:cool: :D :cool:

[Tom the Tenor]

A few years ago I helped out in getting someone a flight from Costa Rica to Madrid at the best possible price so I had cause to phone the Cubana office in Las Palmas and they were very helpful on that occasion. On the same day I phoned the Cubana office in Barcelona and Madrid, could not get through to Madrid and Barcelona were at lunch!

The flights were eventually operated by Yak-42 from SJO - HAV and HAV - MAD on AOM DC-10 that operated via Vitoria for some reason. Flights were otherwise on time and uneventful as I recall.

In Spain Iberia are generally considered notoriously expensive. Another friend regulary flies BA from MAD-LHR-MIA and from there with AA to Managua. It is far cheaper and more available that IB.

[El Grifo]

For some reason un-beknown to me, I can buy flight seats to almost anywhere in the world, much cheaper here in Lanzarote than I can, buying via internet or direct from the airline.

Normally I leave Lanzarote on a Saturday afternoon on a Condor charter to Frankfurt, then fly out on Lufthansa to my destination.
I have used this option many times, the average return being around £ 350.00. This includes Male in the Maldives Mexico City and Bombay to mention but a few.

[Hot Rod]

Times change. Forget about the IL-62, banned in Europe (?) and the DC-10 operator is out of business for good.
Flights with Cubana from Europe is now with Novair A330, swedish operator with swedish/belgian (ex Sabena) pilots and Cubana cabin crew.
Novair A330 now operates out of London (LGW), Paris (ORY), Madrid and Copenhagen to Havanna, Santiago de Cuba and Holguin.
Go for Cubana!:cool:

[El Grifo]

Fair comment Hot Rod, however my journey starts in Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, a route on which I am sure they still use the IL-62.

If by some slim chance they use the A330 then my decision will change.

[Hot Rod]

OK El Grifo, I really dont know about LPA but I guess you are right.
If you go to Havanna and like airplanes I can recommend the "Cuban Air Force Museum". Of course lots of russian airplanes like MIG-15-17-19-21-23-25-29, AN2, IL14 and others. They also have some american like P51, Texan, B26, Cessna 310 and one shot-down U2. Also helicopters and missiles.
It is an outdoor museum and it is NOT located at an airport. It is on Ave 212 in the western part of Havanna (La Coronela).:ok:

[Boss Raptor]

Don't forget the Cuban Air Force Sea Fury's - I spent 8 months trying to get somebody to 'lose' one...they were/are just too damn honest...lovely people and would go back tomorrow :ok:

LPA will be primarily an IL62 fueling stop for a flight ex Moscow or similar maybe?

[Hot Rod]

Boss Raptor, If you find one and need someone flying it for you, give me a call...
There is no Sea Fury at the Air Force Museum, but there is one on outdoor display downtown, outside the "Museo de la Revolucion".:E