Eastern also serves Santa Clara and Camaguey on behalf of Havana Air from Miami. While the carrier provides all lift currently for Havana Air out of Miami, Air Key West operates the new Key West-Havana flights using Britten Norman BN-2T Turbine Islander.
Typically, for those flying to Cuba, check-in is required of up to 4 hours in advance. As we were traveling without luggage, we were asked to show up 2 hours before departure. What looked to be chaotic on first blush was actually very efficient as Havana Air completed the check in for 20 minutes. Flight times to Cuba differ day to day. On our given Sunday, Flight 3146 was scheduled to leave Miami at 9:00. Boarding began promptly at 8:25 am from Gate G14.
With a load factor of nearly 100%, boarding was completed in less then 20 minutes. The G concourse at Miami is where most Cuban bound charter flights with the exception of American depart from.
In command of the flight were Captain Ron Garcia and Captain Hector Crocker. All new hire pilots through the fifth training class are all Captains. Both pilots previously flew for Miami Air and feel that Eastern already seems like a scheduled operation, with so many frequencies to Cuba per week already operating for Havana Air. Our purser was Shelly Garrish.
Shelly was part of the first class of hires or the “cadre class,” and as so is considered the flight purser. Having worker before for Virgin America, she said to be “excited to start up a new airline. People are nostalgic about Eastern and we are stopped in the terminal all the time for photos of our new uniforms and for questions.
We are a little family and it’s been a fun ride.” She is a fan of Eastern’s new uniforms, which were designed by local Miami designer Lisu Vega.
As we boarded, we were impressed with the “like new” clean condition of Eastern’s first 737-800. Economy seating are the slim-line type, not universally loved, but perfectly adequate for such a short flight, while first class seats are all leather with a generous seat pitch.
There is no similarity to the classic old Eastern-stripped patterns or internal branding, save for the safety cards and the lapel pins of flight attendants! As most luggage was checked, there was no competition for overhead bins.
Door was closed at 08:51 am, and pushback took place 3 minutes later, running ahead of time. For a given moment the “Welcome aboard Eastern Air Lines” friendly crew message evoked distant memories, but… We are in 2015!
With a small fleet and high demand, operational integrity is very important to the new Eastern thus all flights to Cuba carry four bilingual flight attendants in order to keep boarding process efficient, and help passengers – many of whom are taking their first flight, and a mechanic on board as well.
At 9:08 am, Eastern 3146 rocketed off Miami’s Runway 27, on the MNATE2 departure. Inflight, plantains and soft drinks were served in first class, and water in economy with any other beverages served on request.
All too soon, descent began over the Straits of Florida, with landing occurring on Runway 06 at Jose Marti International Airport in Havana at 9:52 am, forty-four minutes after departure. Many passengers clapped upon arrival and some even attempted to stand up out of excitement, even though the airplane was on an active taxiway. Eastern 3146 blocked in at the Special Authority U.S. Charter Terminal at 9:56 am, for a travel time of one hour and two minutes gate to gate, and four minutes ahead of schedule.
Disembarking at Havana is also a nostalgic experience, using boarding stairs and no jet ways. Clearing customs was quick and efficient and we were all set and ready to explore Havana for a few hours.
Havana Air checked us in at Terminal 2 of Jose Marti International Airport. No surprises for us in the next service flight to Miami as the same airplane, and crew, welcomes us aboard. The 38-minute flight was uneventful and needless to say, it was an excellent service by our Eastern Air Lines crew.
The second Boeing 737-800 for Eastern Air Lines arrived in mid-July, featuring a single-class cabin configuration of 179 seats will take over flights to Cuba, while ship 276 will provide extra lift for Caribbean Airlines out of New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) through the Summer and Winter high seasons as it counts with a First Class cabin.
As US and Cuba head towards the total resumption of diplomatic ties, Eastern and Havana Air’s partnership yields excellent service to the VFR and burgeoning new tourism market between Miami and Cuba. With the coming influx of more and more numbers of Americans into Cuba, and the easing of travel restrictions, Eastern and Havana Air are both placed in a position to thrive for the future.
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