CUBANA AIRLINES   Passenger Reviews and Passenger Trip Reports

Cubana Airlines review - by Cathy Aitken

26 March 2007   Customer Trip Rating :

I flew overnight on Cubana from Havana to London Gatwick on 27/28 February 2007. This was probably the most uncomfortable flight I have experienced in 60 years of flying. There were approximately one-inch thick cushions on a steel bucket shaped seat, so sitting for any length of time was extremely uncomfortable. The seat back had a very odd curvature with a bump out at the base and no support for the lower back. The air was extremely dry and actually tasted of dust. The air conditioning did not work and the temperature was probably well over 30C around my seat. I complained and nothing happened, so I went and sat on one of the crew seats beside the galley to get their attention. I told the cabin crew I would return to my seat when the temperature was lowered. I tried to sleep, but it was absolutely impossible (I can normally sleep on flights). The aisles were blocked with people standing throughout the flight, so I was not alone in being unable to sleep. (I had flown to Cuba on a daytime flight with the same airline on 14 February and the seats were just the same.) Food was very poor and the snack before landing on the outward leg was three tiny sandwiches, made with the most disgusting bread and minimal filling - not really enough after 7 hours of a 9 hour flight.

Cubana Airlines review - by Rachel Moffatt

8 March 2007   Customer Trip Rating : n/a

Cubana from Toronto to Varadero return. We were delayed two hours out of Toronto and due to the time constraints the plane was not serviced properly, so only one washroom was available for use. That was right behind the cockpit, and we were not allowed to line up for it, so getting to the washroom was hit and miss. There was plenty of leg room, even for my husband, but the seats were thin and uncomfortable. They showed a movie on both flights, but the headphones they supplied did not work half the time. All drinks are for sale, no complimentary water or juice, no peanuts or cookies. The lunch they serve is disgraceful - stale bread and what I think was supposed to be greek salad. The service was terrible, most of the crew slept in the empty first class seats. The landing in Varadero was really rough. On the return flight, we were delayed 82 minutes out of Varadero.. All in all, I will never fly this airline again. We bought this flight as a package deal, so we had no choice. Next time we will spend the extra $$ and get another airline.

Cubana Airlines review - by R Hinksman

3 March 2007

Toronto to Santiago de Cuba return. We flew an Airbus 320 that was immaculate inside. The cabin crew very helpful and pleasant. We were shown movies in both directions that were recent and the earphones were supplied free and returned after the flight. The food compared to Air Transat was fantastic, there was a bar service for only $3 per drink, the seats seems a little more roomy, tea and coffee service along with juice. Very impressed with the meal. One area that was a little weak were the safety instructions, none given to exit row occupants rest were all on screen in Spanish with English subtitles and the print was smallish.

Cubana Airlines review - by Jon Yen

19 January 2007

Cubana Airlines never improves. On January 14, 2007, I just came back to Toronto Canada from Holguin Cuba. On my way down I was very surprised when I boarded the new Cuban fleet IL96 300 Russian aircraft. The plane was very large inside and I was flighting Tropical Class ( Club or Business class ) 18 wide leather type seats, I was very impressed. The plane’s entertainment systems wasn’t working so no movies or music. The seats it turned out, were a bit hard, very little padding and soon I had to keep shifting to stay comfortable. However, on the way to Cuba although the flight left one hour late ( I think normal for Cubana Airlines ) there was no other problems, the flight cabin crew very friendly and eager to make the journey comfortable. On the way back to Toronto it was a different story. I got to the airport early but was told that my ticket was not Tropical Class, then after some argument and verification I was deemed Tropical Class but, the ground crew check-in attendants told me because the aircraft is new and they don’t know the configuration of the aircraft they are not assigning any seats and it didn’t matter where I sat. Well after a considerable long line up ( one hour late again ) you can imagine the stampede to the aircraft from the terminal it was not pretty, it was almost funny as younger passenger where pushing older passengers aside to get on board what a fiasco, in Cuba I noticed that younger Cubans are very respectful of their elders but, I guess not when it comes to boarding an aircraft many returning Cubans were elbowing and pushing like we were escaping from a tsunami. When I finally got on board the flight cabin crew were a lot more professionally organized and looked at my ticket and assigned me a seat in Tropical Class. I was the only one passenger but after 20 minutes the cabin was full. I found out later that the ground crew quickly seen an opportunity and decided to make a little extra cash and sell off the empty seats at a very discounted rate ( I was told $10 ) I paid over $200 for the same seat, so eager to make extra cash they over sold the seats, and I had another problem when I came back to my seat after an emergency stop-over in Havana. The plane again IL96 300 was different than the one I flew down on and the entertainment system was working, and I was impressed as I was able to watch, from a camera on the nose of the aircraft the taxi, take-off and a few minutes into the flight on the video monitor. But, my enjoyment was short lived within 30 minutes it was announced the aircraft would land in Havana due to technical problems. After a four hour delay in Havana airport we where herded back onto another IL96 300 aircraft same as the one I flew down on. Rather than be pushed onto the aircraft I decided to wait until everyone was boarded, anyway after all I already had my seat, or so I thought. When I boarded someone else had my seat and refuse to give it up. It seems the ground crew over sold one extra seat in Holguin but the passenger didn’t know where to sit and sat in the back for the first part of the journey from Holguin to Havana, then decided to claim the seat after the stop-over in Havana, anyway the cabin crew decided, enough was enough of these $10 upgrades and escorted the passenger back to their seat and I got my seat back. I have flown many times Tropical or Club Class with Cubana Airlines and they never seem to improve, the service is good or very bad the fact that you can never rely on them I have decide to stop flying with them. It’s too bad as some of the staff do try very hard to make the trip enjoyable but others seem to do the opposite.

Cubana Airlines review - by Eve Baxter

19 January 2007

We flew with Cubana least year on our return home from a lovely holiday in Cuba. When my partner and I arrived at the airport, we found that our flight had been cancelled. I was told that I'd been booked on a later flight, direct to Madrid, that night then we would have to take another flight from Madrid, to Heathrow; our car was parked at Gatwick. We asked for a direct flight to be allocated to us, we were told that there were no flights available until 5 days later and that we would have to leave before then. This was the beginning of a very long nightmare. The flight from Madrid had a scheduled time. When we finally boarded the plane 2 hours later than the scheduled time, the pilot announced we had to leave the plane and return to the departure terminals.We were advised that if the problem wasn't sorted within 1.5 hours then the plane would be delayed for 24 hours. We were advised that Cubana Airlines were arranging transport and hotels for us all and that we were to leave the departure lounge. We had to collect our luggage and visas which took hours and wait for transport. After hours waiting, a large number us, 'the travelers', 14 hours after leaving arriving at the airport and lots of arguments with Cubana staff, who walked off and left us stranded, finally found someone from the holiday company who took pity on us and found accommodation nearby for 40 of the passengers, I don't know what happened to the rest of the passengers from that flight that night. The accommodation was described as 3 star all-inclusive. It was in the middle of no-where, when we opened the door to our room we were horrified, immediately, we began the task of clearing the cockroaches, then moved our cases in, cooked food was kept in warm trays with flies swarming it again, so we didn't eat, so we went to the bar and asked for some drinks, we were told we had to pay, but we had no money left so we couldn't’. We were told that another plane had been scheduled with Cubana for 15 hours later than we had arrived at the hotel, however, we discovered after leaving for the airport that the plane had been delayed again. Finally after lots of discussions with the Cubana staff, we arrived in the departure lounge, the plane was 4 hours late at this time, we finally took off from Havana to Madrid. When we landed at Madrid we discovered that we had missed our flight back to the UK because the Havana flight had been delayed, the Cubana staff were unhelpful, we were told that the next flight back to the UK wasn't for 3 days, in the end we ended up flying from Madrid to Paris, Paris to London heathrow 16 hours later. It took 72 hours to return home from Havana in total, complete nightmare. We are going back to Cuba this year, but through a different airline. We submitted a complaint to Cubana Airlines, we never received a reply from them.

Cubana Airlines review - by Isabel Kershaw

9 January 2007

We flew coach with Cubana from Gatwick to Havana return. Our experience was good. The staff were polite and quite attentive. Both flights were on time. Maybe we were lucky or maybe Cubana are getting better. We'd fly with them again.

Cubana Airlines review - by Neil Henderson

17 November 2006

Our flight out of Gatwick was on time the plane was an Air Europa it was clean and the food was ok. Although you only get one or two free alcoholic drinks on a 9 hour flight. Staff on board were a bit surly and the in-flight entertainment was poor. The flight arrived on time. On the way back we checked in early and we were offered an upgrade for £120 each. Take it, it's worth it, and food and drink is good and plentiful with plenty of legroom. Flight arrived on time and we managed to get our bags quickly. Only concern for me was that they didn't allow business class passengers off first like they do on other airlines and there was no baggage priority. However, Cubana is improving and I would fly with them again.

Cubana Airlines review - by Claire Archibald

16 September 2006

We came back from our honeymoon in Cuba on 23rd July (was meant to be 22nd) after a pleasant holiday. The flight out was delayed by 1 hour which we thought wasn't too bad but the flight there was awful. The cabin crew were not interested in you unless you were club class and having to go and search for crew sleeping in empty passenger seats just for water was a bit much. The woman gave us 1 glass between my husband and I! The return journey was so awful it completely ruined our honeymoon. When arriving at Havana airport, we were told the plane was 'broken' and we would be re-routing to Madrid then to Heathrow. We had flown in from Gatwick and had connecting flights to Edinburgh which we were now going to miss. It took 2 hours for Cubana staff to hand rewrite our tickets (we were 3rd in line!) and they told us that we could not go to Gatwick from Madrid as there were no flights. After being seated 11 rows away from each other (plenty of free seats around me but crew would not let me sit next to my husband as it was 'too much movement') we were delayed for 4 hours because of the ticket writing fiasco and eventually arrived at Madrid where we had to wait 6 hours for our flight to Heathrow. From the very start Cubana were not interested in us whatsoever and BA were left to deal with us. Many passengers were able to swap the Heathrow flight to Gatwick as contrary to Cubana lies there was a flight there but we had already missed our connection anyway so BA arranged for us to fly back to Scotland the next day business class at no charge (BA were amazing at all points of the return trip). This meant we had to stay overnight in London adding another 16 hours to our delay. This cost us over £300 as there were only 3 hotels taking bookings around Heathrow and there was some air show on so costs were extortionate! At no point were we offered any refreshments or compensation and Cubana staff in Havana and Madrid were so rude it was unbelievable. On returning home, 27 hours late we have phoned Cubana 63 times with no answer, sent 14 emails, no answer, our tour operator has done the same - guess what no answer! They won't provide us with a letter to confirm the delays so our insurance company won't pay out either. Cubana simply are the worst airline going and I will never ever travel with them again!

Cubana Airlines review - by P Jarmyn

6 September 2006

I have just returned from Cuba after a two week holiday, the only thing that let the experience down was the flights LGW to Holgin then Holgin to Havana. Non attentive flight crew on the flight from LGW to Holgin where we only saw them to give the meals out, if you wanted a drink you had to go to the rear and get one, no emergency information in the seat backs either. The same films were on offer on all flights! only one ear piece was working on the headphones for both transatlantic flights. The breakfast on flight consisted of a small cake, roll and jam! But by far the worst was the trip from Holgin to Havana, no seat numbers allocated, no flight attendants to tell us that we could sit where we wanted, or where we could find a seat that was not covered in rubbish from the previous occupants. This flight only lasted 55 mins during this time no flight attendants came in the cabin, the whole plain was full of rubbish from the passengers who had got off, I understand it is only a 45 min turnaround, but at least make an effort!

Cubana Airlines review - by Keith Mower

8 July 2006

Onboard service could not be faulted, plane was Air Europa 767 with Cubana staff, plenty of drinks and hospitality. Arrived Holguin on time. Transferred from Holguin to Havana on same flight code, half Cubana and half AirEuropa cabin staff. No problems. Returned from Havana to London, slight delay four hours - it appeared that the original plane was used on Madrid route instead. Cubana ground staff very difficult to get information out of, but again when flight left made good time with plenty of hospitality, from Cubana cabin crew. Check in staff very helpful, allocating extra leg room seats. Plenty of room on board. Overall impression, much better than a lot of charter flights and other national carriers.

Cubana Airlines review - by Teresa Harley

1 June 2006

My husband and I returned from Varadero Cuba on May 28th. My experience with Cubana Airlines was incredible. While on vacation, I had a lot of insect bites and a terrible sun burn, which cause a severe allergic reaction - it was so bad, the doctor at the airport did not want me to fly for risk of blood clots (DVT). She would only clear me fly if I had a seat where I could elevate my legs -the check-in guy did all that he could (without any problems) to ensure my husband and I had 3 seats to ourselves so that I could have my legs elevated the whole flight. I just want to say thank you for the care and concern -I'd fly Cubana Airlines again.

Cubana Airlines review - by Kim Jones

15 May 2006

Returned to Toronto from Holguin May 7, 2006. For a two star rating, this airline has a lot to offer. I was pleasantly surprised on the flight to Holguin which offered a snack and received a platter of cold cuts, veggies, fruit, bun, pudding, juice and coffee or tea plus a beverage. There was also a movie and headphones to enjoy music when the movie was over. The flight was an hour delayed leaving Toronto and the return flight was delayed three hours due to staff errors. The airline staff boarded passengers from other airlines on the Cubana flight so they had to be transferred and the luggage had to be exchanged. As far as I know there was only one piece of luggage missing in Toronto. There was some technical problems with the movie but the food was good. I would definitely recommend flying with Cubana.

Cubana Airlines review - by Ronald MacArthur

13 May 2006

LGW- Holguin return in economy. I was expecting the worst on the flights to and from London Gatwick. To my surprise, both flights arrived on schedule. The 767 of Air Europa used seemed in good condition, the food was edible, the seats were adequate as was the crew. Plenty of water and rum available for those prepared to walk to the galley! I have suffered far worse on EVA Air and even Cathay Pacific, and N American carriers are in a class of their own for sheer nastiness in economy class!

Cubana Airlines review - by M Clairoux

9 May 2006

A few days before departure from Montreal, we were advised by our travel agent that Cubana had changed our return date and pushed it back by one full day. This turned out to be great for us as it gave us 10 days in Cuba. Service on board was great and who needs drinks that early in the morning. Coming back was also great except for the difficult landing in Montreal. Only negative comment is for the no pre-reservation policy. On the other hand, my daughter's flight back from Varaderro has been delayed for the last two days and we have no idea when they will be back or if they have been offered lodging during this time.

Cubana Airlines review - by D Callaway

24 April 2006

Recently returned from a holiday in El Yarey & Havana flying from Gatwick. I have nothing but praise for the excellent service provided by Air Cubana - the aircraft used was Air-Europa. All flights on time, cabin crew were very attentative and the food was fine. We had no complaints whatsoever and would not hesitate to fly Cubana again.

Cubana Airlines review - by Teresa Dudek

18 April 2006

We flew from Toronto to Cayo Coco Cuba on April 7th. I was a little bit scared flying the aircraft after reading all the bad comments from people. I can honestly say the flight was fine. We left Toronto 1/2 late, but the service was great, I had no problem what so ever. My children wanted to sleep so they gave me two pillows right away. We had spirts served. We also had head sets and had a movie going there and back. We were served dinner that was ok but in reality the flight was only 3 1/2 hours long. At one point by children had to go to the bathroom as they were serving dinner and they took them up to the front to First Class. They were great with the kids, they even had pictures taken with the pilot. When we landed I had 3 carry ons so I asked my daughter to be careful with hers because I was watching my younger son going down the stairs, to be unexpected and surprised the pilot of the plane helped my daughter off and down the stairs with her carry on which I thought was very nice and thoughtful of him. Going back to Toronto we left Cuba 40 minutes early and our flight was only 3 hours which was great. The only thing that I did not like is we had very bad turbulence going over to Cuba but from what I understand, the US had very bad weather so that was the cause of it. I have no complaints of the plane or crew. The crew was very nice and friendly and always smiling, always willing to help. I guess I was lucky to have a great flight and crew, great experience. People should have an open mind and not always look for bad but look for the good in things. My flight was fine and yes I would fly with them again, no problem.

Cubana Airlines review - by David Williams

6 March 2006

LGW -HAV and return in Feb/March. Maybe we were lucky - both flights left on time, and the inbound arrived forty minutes early . And maybe the reviews on this site have driven away so many customers that the economy cabin was about half full, leaving lots of room to stretch out. But the inflight service was fine, with busy and friendly Cuban FA's, two main-screen movies; average but not awful food - drinks okay (though no spirits and only limited wine in economy - we took our own supplies). The aircraft was a 767 leased from a company called Air Europa. Upgrading would have been a mistake given the spare room down the back, and the fact that the business 'section' on this aircraft is two rows of larger seats at the front, hardly constituting a dedicated cabin. Check in at LGW was painless; less so at Havana, but that's not the airline's fault: when there are two or more international flights leaving at the same time the place is swamped. Leave extra time (3 hours minimum) and you won't have a problem. So all in all, nothing special but certainly okay. And the flight cost just over £400, as opposed to nearly £700 with Virgin. Clearly, as other reviews demonstrate, when things go wrong on Cubana they can go very wrong. But the airline's 'normal service' is perfectly adequate, and at bargain prices.

Cubana Airlines review - by Jeany Wilson

8 February 2006

We will never fly with this airline again. Paid a fair amount of money for upgrade to their business tropical class. Was economy from hell! It was a non heard of company named Novair. Cabin crew took their breaks seated in the cabin (eating, drinking, and chatting loudly!). One crew member refused to let me change to a window seat as it was reserved for crew members ? Food appalling, FA's grumpy and unhelpful. At Holguin engineer boarded to fix a seat. Carried on doing so on final leg. We think he may have just been getting a free lift back to Havana. Lo and behold return flight was with the same airline although we were assured by ground staff at Havana that it would be Cubana. Never received a penny of compensation for the £750+ we spent as we were caught out with "airline reserves right to change aircraft at any time". Found out later Cubana is always having problems operating.

Cubana Airlines review - by Daniel Nuttell

19 December 2005

Gatwick-Holguin return. Before flying reading this forum had made me very nervous, but I am happy to report that the flights were ok. The planes and crew were Spanish from a company called EuropaAir. The food was standard air line food and the air crew were good. No complaints

Cubana Airlines review - by Wendy Gooner

13 December 2005

LGW - HAVANA. Upgraded to premium class aand well worth paying £100 extra. No delay at all. Service was excellent. The return flight was delayed by 1 hour or so but hurricane Wilma was around so a short delay was only to be expected. I upgraded again and had a good nights sleep with pillows and blanket provided. With the large seat it was comfy .The meals were better than I had expected on both flights. All in all a good service and I'm pleased to be flying with Cubana again next year. Just goes to show you have to judge for yourself.

Cubana Airlines review - by Julie Needham

20 November 2005

Gatwick to Holguin. Flight spacious and plenty of seats. Food and drinks were brought round 1.5hrs into, and at the end of the journey. No other drinks were given during the journey - and staff nowhere to be seen to ask for drinks. Inflight entertainment was the same outbound as it was flying back. All our flights were delayed up to 5.5 hours. Other than that it was not a bad flight. Would not use them again though.

Cubana Airlines review - by Anette Megyaszai

17 November 2005

Cubana 747 from Gatwick to Holquin, Havana and back. Spacious aircraft, clean, working mini tvs, all had 3-4 seats or more, food okay. All 3 flights late, Havana to London by 5.5 hours. I have travelled on worse airlines - it all went well.

Cubana Airlines - by Richard King

9 October 2005

Flight 10th September 2005, 2.5 hours late leaving, dirty plane, no tv screens working, large screen at front of cabin worked, but no sound. One round of drinks (wine only alcohol and they ran out when they got to us). 2 luke warm average meals. Crew disappeared to Business Class for a nap. Had to go and find crew for anything needed. Due to return on 21st September 2005. Upgraded, it must be better. 20 mins. before departure at gate, crew off and tannoy says 24 hour delay. 3 buses for a 747 jumbo. Had to wait for buses to return. No special treatment for Business class ie taxis. Put up at 4 star hotel, fair enough. Flight next day 1 hour late. Tvs not working, large seats not all reclining and still a dirty plane. Crew went walkabout again.

Cubana Airlines - by Lynne Azzopardi

8 October 2005

Have just returned from Cuba, flying with Cubana. Flight delayed by 24 Hours going out, and three hours returning. Plane was okay with plenty of room, but staff were scarce for most of the flight. When my husband asked for a glass of water, he was told to get it himself ! I would never fly with Cubana again.

Cubana Airlines - by Catherine Hynes

16 September 2005

I would also like to confirm what Mr Priest said re Cubana - I and two friends were left stranded in Havana because Cubana had decided not to fly and we were told the plane was actually in Paris. Our tour company said they had basically washed their hands of their passengers. Captivating Cuba, our tour company, put us up in hotels and thankfully got us onto a Virgin flight which got us home on Monday morning, when we were actually due in on Saturday morning. I had to go straight to work, so you can imagine, I was not delighted with Cubana.

Cubana Airlines - by Sally Smith

16 September 2005

LGW to Holguin on the 28th August 05 and was absolutely appalled by this airline! The flight out was delayed by 30 hours and we were told the reason for this was because of Hurricane Katrina, it later transpired that all other airlines who flew to Cuba were still flying out and that the actual reason was "operational issues" which we came to understand in Cubana speak mean that basically they had no plane! When the plane did arrive it was dirty, the seatbelt/ no smoking signs didn't work and we were kept awake by a persistent noise emanating from a broken radio speaker which the cabin crew were aware of but couldn't be bothered to do anything about. We were offered two drinks through the entire 9 hour flight and had no chance of getting anything over and above this because after the first meal had been served the crew took themselves off to the back of the plane and had a nap in the spare seats! The connecting flight from Holguin to Havana was equally horrendous - delayed, dirty old plane, surly cabin crew. The return flight was, once again, delayed for no explicable reason and we found out from one of the holiday representatives that delays were standard and that the average delay was between 9 and 12 hours. I would never in a million years recommend this airline, we went with them because they were cheaper than the others but the saving that we made was not worth it in the long run. If you're planning on going to Cuba trust me pay the extra and fly with someone else otherwise you will regret it!

Cubana Airlines - by Jim Priest

9 September 2005

Well I was all set to post a reasonably positive report on Cubana. Flew LGW to Havana (via Holguin) on Aug 20. Flight was 4 hours late leaving Gatwick (aircraft arrived late) but otherwise everything was fine. Good comfortable aircraft (Icelandic 747 flown by South African pilot), 2 meals of decent quality, plenty of drinks, choice of films and music channels (branded Singapore Airlines!), polite and efficient (if somewhat charmless) cabin crew. Stopover in Holguin made it a long and rather tedious trip, but otherwise no complaints. Then, Cubana cancelled our return flight with 2 hours notice. At first they said it was rescheduled to the following day due to "problems at Gatwick". Then next day it was cancelled entirely - no aircraft! Cubana offered no compensation or alternative arrangements. Fortunately we had booked through a tour company (Captivating Cuba) who were excellent and put us in a hotel at their expense while they tried to rebook us on alternative flights. They eventually got us onto the Virgin flight 2 days later - and upgraded to Premium Economy. If I go to Cuba again I will certainly use them in preference to Cubana without any hesitation.

Cubana Airlines - by Bruce Schuster

19 July 2005

I recently travelled on Cubana Toronto to Havana return on their scheduled service. All in all, Cubana wasn't as bad as the horror stories I had read. We flew on Airbus 320, which was very spacious and clean. We had more leg room than the competition, at least a 33inch pitch. We were provided with headphones for music and movie, which was shown in both directions. The flight crew were polite and professional on our way down. The return flight was a different story, at one point we asked for our plate to be taken and the flight attendant just made a disgruntled face and kept on walking past. Some of the other flight attendants didn't seem very happy either, and it came through with their interaction with the passengers. The flights were over an hour late in both directions, but I found out on the return it is due to added security checks in Havana. If you can get past the delays, and hit or miss friendliness of the cabin crew, I do recommend Cubana. The aircraft was new and comfortable, the food and inflight entertainment was good.

Cubana Airlines - by Vanessa Noorbaccus

7 July 2005

LGW to Havana (via Holquin) on 14 May 2005: The flight was delayed at Gatwick for 4 hours. The plane was actually on the tarmac but we were not told the reason for the delay. Then at Holquin we were held up for 3-4 hours (apparently they could not locate two suitcases that belonged to some passengers who had disembarked). Havana to LGW on 20 May 2005: The flight was delayed by 8 hours. We were put up in a hotel in Havana during this time, however, communication to the passengers was extremely poor (there was a lot of confusion about where we would be staying, what coach we had to get on, what time we were going to be picked up etc). Food on return flight was really bad and there was very little of it. Fortunately my partner and I had bought lots of snacks in the airport so we were ok. There was no in-flight entertainment at all. The landing at Gatwick was particularly rough and we noticed a few oxygen masks dropping when the plane touched down! Personally, I would not recommend Cubana Airlines.

Cubana Airlines - by Steven Cooper

29 June 2005

Flew with Cubana from Gatwick to Holguin 25.05.05. Flight on time, entertainment was three films back to back (same films on return flight) and food and drink was fine. Staff were very accommodating. My only criticism is that they didn't come round often enough with drinks and snacks this usually makes a very long flight less tedious. All in all I felt safe and well looked after. Return flight from Havanna was equally reasonable and the check in staff did their utmost to get us extra leg room. Again the flight departed on time and this time as it was an overnight flight the lack of attention was obviously not a problem. The staff did all they could to ensure you were comfortable and could sleep. The main dinner was okay, but breakfast (dry bread, ham & cheese) wasn't too apetising, but as we were about to land that was not a problem. Be prepared and take some entertainment a small supply of food and sit back and enjoy!

Cubana Airlines - by Pauline Barker

6 June 2005

Travelled on the Gatwick to Havana via Holguin flight on 7 May 2005. Take off delayed by 4 hours and plane seemed to be held together by masking tape in places. Return flight was delayed by 8 hours with dreadful food (dry sandwiches and bits of meat) and duty free available only if you were sitting in the right aisle. No in flight entertainment on the return. Plane bounces well on landing and oxygen masks have a tendency to fall down!! Not a flight for the faint hearted. Best advice is to take your own duty frees on board to while the time away as we did with some new friends. Hello Sonia!

Cubana Airlines - by John Pope

29 May 2005

LGW-HAV on 14 May, returning 24 May. Business Class both ways. (Check for last-minute upgrade fares at the airport). Outbound some 3 hours delay due to a late aircraft change by operating carrier Air Atlanta to B747-200 impacting on all aspects of the ground handling. Very nicely refurbished cabin with HUGE leather reclining chairs in nose of aircraft. Cabin staff (Cuban + European) willing and friendly - but lacking any obvious familiarity with the aircraft - or any clear service plan. Very average premium-economy type meals ex LGW - with no choice of menu - and no sign of any service during the first hour of the flight. Return flight arrived at LGW almost one hour early despite 30 minutes delay leaving HAV. This was a B747-300 with business class on the upper deck. Comfortable and quiet - although noticably less spacious than outbound. Catering ex HAV was much better than ex LGW. 4 choices of hot main meal - served on branded china with real metal cutlery. No watchable IFE either way (but I was happy with a good book and uninterrupted sleep). Overall good value for money - based on reasonable price, seat comfort and direct route.

Cubana Airlines - by Sonia Dearlove

25 May 2005

Flew out to Cuba on 07/05/05. Flight delayed at Gatwick for nearly 5 hours due to plane needing new tyres. Some of the overhead lockers were closed with masking tape as broken and we generally felt that the plane was poorly maintained (apparently the plane was a 1972 Russian craft). Once underway 2 meals received - both poor but some free drinks. The business class seats were empty and when passengers asked if they could move into them were told that they were for staff to sleep in! No reading material just safety card & sick bag. Plane did not stop at Holguin as planned as the tyres had not all been changed and some only had 1 landing in them so we had to get off at Havana and board another plane to Holguin. Also had an internal flight to Havana which was a bit better but delayed - apparently staff being trained in how to lock & open doors! Flight home delayed 8 hours, but shipped out to 5 star hotel and given food & room - decided to get taxi back to airport rather than coach due to the chaos and eventually boarded plane. Did not sleep on homeward flight due to lack of confidence in flying now, although this was not a Cubana plane as they'd had to get one from Paris. 2 meals both poor. Steward could see I was concerned though and tried to reassure me. Have never been so pleased to get to Gatwick before! Both long haul flights staff did bare minimum and disappeared for long spells of flight although on homeward flight staff were more friendly. Enjoyed Cuba but would travel BA or otherwise if I went again.

Cubana Airlines - by Matt Richards

18 May 2005

LGW-HAV-LGW. Half the crew on our flights were Cuban ,the other half multi-national from Air Atlanta Icelandic ( the owners of the 747-300), hence it was like having two different cabin crews on board. This meant that the service was slow and hap-hazard. More alarmingly it also meant that half of the cabin crew were completely unfamiliar with the aircraft type and it's emergency procedures. They struggled with pointing exits and putting on life vests in the demo, God knows how they'd react to a fire at 37,000". Food cold on outbound and two variations of ham sandwiches on the 4 hour delayed return. Re Pat Gildea's comments, we found Cuba to be a wonderful place to visit and experienced very little hassle of any kind and the ladies in our group (pretty 30 year olds) said they received more unwanted attention in London!

Cubana Airlines - by Dave Waters

17 May 2005

In the last two weeks we have flown Iberia from LHR-MAD-HAV then Cubana HAV-Houlgin and back. The internal Cubana flights were basic but the coffee was excellent and plentiful. Ground staff were eccentric but again very helpful some of the time. Having read the comments below I think we would have been better off taking Cubana from LGW than using Iberia. It would have been much quicker (return journey took 18 hrs from Check in, using Iberia and the luggage took a further 48 hours) and I doubt if the organisation or service would have been any worse.