MilesBuzz! - Can US fliers use FF miles to go to Cuba?

Is it possible for a US flier to use FF miles to go to Cuba?

I've got miles on OW, ST and *A. Also have miles on BA and QF.

Thanks,
Rocky

Is it possible for a US flier to use FF miles to go to Cuba?

I've got miles on OW, ST and *A. Also have miles on BA and QF.

Thanks,
Rocky

Aeroplan redemption from Canada to Cuba is the easiest. But, you might face less hassle if you change your residence to Canada before trying to book it. Look up a Pizza Hut address in Toronto and you're good to go.

Thanks for the advice on using Aeroplan FF miles.

That only works if the OP's Star Alliance miles are in Aeroplan. If they are in a US based program (e.g. UA, US) I doubt even a change of address will allow this to be booked.

That only works if the OP's Star Alliance miles are in Aeroplan. If they are in a US based program (e.g. UA, US) I doubt even a change of address will allow this to be booked.

Yes, this is correct. The miles have to be in Aeroplan or another non-USA held Star Alliance partner.

Any oneworld options? My only miles in foreign programs are BA and QF.

I can't seem to find any.

Any oneworld options? My only miles in foreign programs are BA and QF.

I can't seem to find any.

Iberia flies MAD-HAV, Mexicana flies MEX-HAV.

Those are literally your only oneworld options. You might want to just consider buying a cheap flight ex-Canada? My American friend does all the time and he hasn't been caught yet.

I haven't done it myself, but you can fly down to SAN, cross the border, and fly to HAV from TIJ with a connection in MEX on MX.

AM and CU are other options from MEX.

I haven't done it myself, but you can fly down to SAN, cross the border, and fly to HAV from TIJ with a connection in MEX on MX.

AM and CU are other options from MEX.

Never thought of Tijuana, good one Matthew!

I guess MTY would equally be convenient if you accessed it from the SAT area by bus. Juarez too?

PS - Mexicana's official rule that I saw today prohibit redemptions "from USA to Havana". Not a word on whether US citizens are permitted to book them - I doubt the Mexicans would care either way.

Rocky you can use both QFF and BA miles to fly in and out of HAV but not from the USA.
I am currently booking a RTW using qantas and flying from mad to hav and hav to scl.

Is it possible for a US flier to use FF miles to go to Cuba? ...

Wouldn't that be aiding and abetting by the airline?

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8830/4.2.2 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/105)

You might want to just consider buying a cheap flight ex-Canada? My American friend does all the time and he hasn't been caught yet.

Going via Canada is much more risky. Because the plane transits American airspace the passenger manifest is transmitted to the US. It will show that there is an American citizen on board. Real easy to get caught that way.

Iberia flies MAD-HAV, Mexicana flies MEX-HAV.

Those are literally your only oneworld options. You might want to just consider buying a cheap flight ex-Canada? My American friend does all the time and he hasn't been caught yet.

Mexicana is not in OW.

Iberia and LAN both fly to HAV.

If you have Skyteam miles from a non-US programme, COPA will sell you a redemption to HAV via PTY even on a single ticket originating from the US (irrespective of your citizenship)- at least for as long as they're in the alliance (I don't know what will happen when/if they move across to *A). However, I don't think I would recommend that to a US citizen.

There are perfectly legal circumstances under which US citizens can obtain US gov't permission to travel to Cuba (e.g., diplomats, reporters, academics, artists/musicians, etc.)

Why would the airlines not be allowed to book FF tickets to HAV? They don't ask travelers at booking time if they already have a visa to a country that requires it; what makes this situation any different? Why wouldn't they just check your documents before issuing a boarding pass?

FYI, Cayman Airways flies from GCM-HAV. I'm sure there are other small Caribbean airlines that make the trip.

The airlines are allowed to do business with Cuba under very limited circumstances, and "do business with" is considered to be pretty much everything by the Feds.

If you have an authorized reason to go to Cuba, you can simply fly there from the US -- Alligent, AA, CO, and ExpressJet already fly there, though only as charters so you can't use FF miles.

If you're booking a flight to Cuba via a 3rd country, the airline can be 99% sure you're doing it to break US travel restrictions. They don't want to be a party to this, so they don't allow such redemptions.

The airlines are allowed to do business with Cuba under very limited circumstances, and "do business with" is considered to be pretty much everything by the Feds.

If you have an authorized reason to go to Cuba, you can simply fly there from the US -- Alligent, AA, CO, and ExpressJet already fly there, though only as charters so you can't use FF miles.

If you're booking a flight to Cuba via a 3rd country, the airline can be 99% sure you're doing it to break US travel restrictions. They don't want to be a party to this, so they don't allow such redemptions.


Just out of personal experience, I've booked several tickets to Cuba for my friend (a US Citizen) who has a girlfriend there. He books round-trip tickets from Toronto to Varadero via Canadian charter airlines like Sunwing, and flies to Toronto on American carriers.

His passport is never stamped as having visited Cuba, and the Canadian officials are mum to the fact that he is coming from Cuba. He's done this plenty of times and hasn't been caught once.

This entire discussion just goes to show how archaic this Cuba embargo thing has become. It doesn't really penalize anybody except American citizens that want to travel to Cuba (and those that REALLY do will go anyway and know how to do that). Not much different than somebody going to Canada to buy Cuban cigars. As a diver I would love to see what Cuba has to offer but have never bitten on the chance to go ex-Mexico like a lot of diving friends have done.

Since the current administration wants to get buddy-buddy with Iran and other regimes, I don't see why Cuba isn't on the short list for the USA to enter the 21st Century.

Are we sure we want to be giving tips on this forum about how to break the law and get away with it?

Are we sure we want to be giving tips on this forum about how to break the law and get away with it?

It's not against US law to go to Cuba, it's against the law to spend money there.

Regardless.....do you live in a free country? Is America, "the land of the free?". Why bow to your dictators. If beating your wife was REQUIRED by law, would you do it?

Think about this...what is wrong with Cuba, and not wrong with other communist countries like Vietnam, China, Laos, and North Korea (all of which you Americans permitted to visit - if those countries let you in). Heck, you can even go to Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan if you so choose. But sunshine and cigars, that's something that CANNOT be supported. It's laughable, really. This Cuba embargo is someone in the 1960's having a chip on their shoulder, and Americans keeping up the insanity for decades after.

...what is wrong with Cuba, and not wrong with other communist countries like Vietnam, China, Laos, and North Korea (all of which you Americans permitted to visit - if those countries let you in). Heck, you can even go to Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan if you so choose...At the risk of veering dangerously close to OMNI/PR territory, but to answer the question, there is only one thing wrong with Cuba. In four parts:

1. Florida is a swing state in Presidential elections. It made all the difference in 2000.
2. Neither major party can therefore afford to alienate a significant number of Florida voters.
3. Lots of ex-Cubans vote in Florida.
4. They don't want the U.S. to change its policies.

If you don't think this sort of logic should determine U.S. policy, I'm in your corner. Complaints, to make a difference, should be directed to your elected representatives.

Are we sure we want to be giving tips on this forum about how to break the law and get away with it?

What law?

FT is a global community. AFAIK, there is only one country that prohibits its citizens from spending money in Cuba.

If there is a UAE law against using VOIP, shall we just refrain from discussing proxy servers in case somebody there wants to break the law?

Are we sure we want to be giving tips on this forum about how to break the law and get away with it?

I do not recognize any u.s. laws, but choose to adhere to the one's I agree with. Why should I be censored from discussing something that the u.s. Govt thinks is illegal?

Are we sure we want to be giving tips on this forum about how to break the law and get away with it?

I do not recognize any u.s. laws, but choose to adhere to the one's I agree with. Why should I be censored from discussing something that the u.s. Govt thinks is illegal?

We shouldn't (but this might not be the place for it). The US government has nothing to do with my life nor the lives of probably a substantial percentage of the readers of this forum.

That said, if I choose to lend advice and help an American brother overcome the "freedoms" imposed on him by his country's pseudo-totalitarian regime & help facilitate his travelling to Cuba if he so chooses, it's my prerogative to do so. I am bound by no US law, thanks be to God.

This might be delving into OMNI territory, but seriously, it's sad how some Americans go along with their country's "laws" mindlessly. The end results can be catastrophic (take Hitler's Germany, for an extreme example). Don't let your government play you like mindless minions who cave to their every word, question every "law" that is proposed and have a mind of your own - that my friends, is true freedom. "Cuba is bad because my government said so, but North Korea is fine!" - take a step back and realize how idiotic that sounds. Oh well, smile and nod.