World Airways charters
Unfortunately, our experience on World Airways getting to/from MIA/HAV was even worse. Thirteen of us returned yesterday from a one week tour (5 nights in Havana and 2 nights in Cienfuegos). This was the 2nd time for my wife and me (our first visit was 3 years ago). On this visit, our group used Marazul Tours which chartered World Airlines to/from MIA/HAV (at a cost of $450 rdtp per person plus a $20 fee for each bag MIA/HAV -- but no extra fee HAV/MIA). World Airways apparently uses only two MD-80s. Our flight was 4 hours late departing from MIA on May 4 and 6 hours late departing from HAV on May 11 (not including the 3 hours at the airport prior to departure). Yesterday, as we lived at the airport for 9 hours we watched as two Sky King flights scheduled to depart after our World Airways flight came and left. We never got an explanation or apology from World Airways. In contrast, the Cubans working in the waiting area with us could not have been more helpful -- including the woman selling the toilet paper for the rest rooms who allowed us to use her private cell phone to try and call the US to change our connecting flights (be advised we could not call any 800 numbers from Cuba). Despite the awful charter flight experience, we thoroughly enjoyed our visit; we found the Cuban people we met wonderful albeit isolated from much of the outside world, with virtually no Internet and still dependent on 1950s American cars (we marveled at how they have kept them running and restored despite the hot, salt air climate). It is not an easy trip, but well-worth it.