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Holguin Cuba Airport Review | Rebecca Smith

These comments relate to the older, national terminal. Frank Pais International Airport at Holguin has two terminals; one (modern) deals with international charter and scheduled services, and the other (older) deals with flights to and from Havana. The tone is set when passengers see the huge portrait of former President Fidel Castro on the airport terminal, plus the slogan on the perimeter wall “Socialism or Death”. This sets the tone for what is usually a pleasant visit to the city of Holguin. Incoming passengers walk to the terminal, where an excellently designed baggage conveyor promptly brings the luggage to be reclaimed. The design of this conveyor, requiring passengers simply to reach their suitcases off the belt, is in contrast to those at much newer, larger US airports. On arrival for your return flight check in is swift and simple, and the waiting lounge has somewhat noisy Cuban TV playing loud music all the time.

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Havana Jose Marti Airport Review | Gary Shane

Inbound Havana Airport offers very long delays at immigration and for collecting checked baggage. Following a very slow, humourless, and rigorous immigration procedure you might expect that you would enter the baggage hall and find your baggage already on the belt, after waiting an hour. since the aircraft landed. Far from it, you first have to have your hand baggage scanned and inspected on arrival. Then you reach the very small baggage hall. None of these places have much in the way of air conditioning by the way. You might as well queue to change money here, as an hours delay since flight arrival still sees no baggage on the belt. It took at least a further 30 minutes before baggage began to appear, painfully slowly, on the belt, each belt rotation producing one or two new items, seemingly belonging to those still well back in the immigration queue. Then they start using a second belt, but delivery is not much faster. Be extremely careful in dashing from one belt to the other to check for bags, as raised rails to hold baggage trollies on the floor act as lethal dangers on the floor. Lack of space, and the very large numbers clustered around the small belts make trips fairly likely. Figure on an hour and a half to two hours for any bags here. Going back out I found check in fast, but very slow queues to pay the mandatory 25 CUC exit tax. Security was thorough, but not particularly slow and gives access to a very undersized terminal, opened by the unlikely combination of J Chretien and Fidel as recently as 1999. With very few facilities it is not a place you would wish to spend much time at all. As others have said, all the seats here can easily be filled by a few departures close together.

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Havana Jose Marti Airport Review | K McElroy

Havana Airport is small functional (but can be very slow) and little else. Arrivals (luggage delays aside) is ok, getting out is a different story. At first it seems that check in etc is quite quick, then you pay your 25cuc airport tax and then move to immigration. This can take hours, staff disappear at a moments notice and its anybody’s guess how long before they return, time and time again this happened, even when my passport/visa was being checked. As far as food/drink etc, drinks are fine but food is poor and very expensive. Although it claims to be 24hr, there is nothing open after 11pm (approx), so if you’re delayed, stock up. If you have problems with your flight being delayed etc. Dont expect any help, you’ll have to explain the same thing over and over again, better off contacting the airline in your home country. Its worth noting that they have cardphones in the airport but nobody sells the cards there – I checked everywhere. So have a card on hand, there are coin phones but pesos only and its very difficult to phone international. Also there is no internet access until after you go through check in/immigration (no wireless either). Basically : Get there 4hrs early, double check the queues for check in, have your visa immigration forms and 25cuc on hand and get a phone card before going to the airport just in case. Car rentals at Havana Airport can be expensive

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Havana Jose Marti Airport Review | J Smith

There are cash machines at foreign exchange desks at arrivals and departures. They accept Visa cards but not Mastercard. You will be charged a 11 percent commission plus your own bank’s handling charges but it may save you queuing for 1 plus hours. I was also conned by the lady at the foreign exchange desk, she gave me 3 Peso MN in exchange for 3 CUC. She should have given me 72 Peso MN. I would advise contacting airline on the day of departure to check flight times. You do not want to spend more time in this airport than necessary. So many smokers and poor facilities makes it unpleasant. I know of 2 different parties who contracted serious illness as a result of eating the food here. The beer is more expensive than at the bar at the Nacional Hotel. Duty free does not represent much of a saving but has a good selection, the ground coffee is more expensive for example.

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Cuba Airport | Services

Cuba Airport

Cuba Airport

Whichever Cuba airport you are arriving or departing from you will probably require some services. Below is a list of services available in Cuba Airport terminals

 

VIP Arrival service

 

Available in: Jose Marti airport Havana, Frank Pais Airport Holguin, Juan Gualberto Gomez Varardero

 

The airport VIP service entails being met from the airplane door, escorted to the VIP lounge where free drinks are served and, valet handling of your suitcases through customs. The price of these services varies from 35 to 90 CUC, depending the grade of service required.

 

Cuba airport transfers

 

Available in: Jose Marti airport Havana, Frank Pais Airport Holguin, Juan Gualberto Gomez Varadero, Jaime González Cienfuegos, Cayo Coco Airport, Cayo Largo Airport, Cayo Guillermo Airport, Antonio Maceo Santiago de Cuba

 

The airport transfer service guarantees your onward transit between the Cuba airport you arrive or depart from and your chosen land destination. This can be a transfer to the hotel of your choice or maybe a main city or, even to another airport in the area. Cuba airport transfers can be booked in advance to save you time

 

Cuba Airport Car Rental

 

Available in: Jose Marti airport Havana, Frank Pais Airport Holguin, Juan Gualberto Gomez Varadero, Jaime González Cienfuegos, Cayo Coco Airport, Cayo Largo Airport, Cayo Guillermo Airport, Antonio Maceo Santiago de Cuba, Santa Clara, Guardalavaca

 

Cuba airport Rent A Car offers car rental of varied models from Economic cars to luxury limousine type vehicles. The most common vehicles used by families visiting Cuba are Minivans or Vans which carry 7 and 9 passengers respectively. Cuba Car only rents cars from airports for a minium of 3 days in low season and 7 days in High season. To see these seasons visit the CubaCAR website. Some Cuba Airport s does not offer “walk up” or immediate rentals and only offer cars that have been pre-booked online. On most occasions therefore, if you have not prebooked the car at the Cuba Airport you are arriving at, then you will be asked to visit an office outside the Cuba Airport you arrived at which could be a lengthy taxi ride. Car Rental at a Cuba Airport, if booked in advance is however a simple service to acquire

 

Edward Gonzalez “We booked our car in advance at the Cuba Airport, no issues”

 

Cuba Airport Taxi Service

 

Available in: Jose Marti airport Havana, Frank Pais Airport Holguin, Juan Gualberto Gomez Varadero, Jaime González Cienfuegos, Cayo Coco Airport, Cayo Largo Airport, Cayo Guillermo Airport, Antonio Maceo Santiago de Cuba, Santa Clara, Guardalavaca

 

Getting a taxi from a Cuba Airport is rather simple although some caution must be taken. You should only use those taxis immediately outside the terminal entrance. Some “unofficial” taxis can be found around the grounds of the airport and these are often accompanied by a “tout” or “hawker” who will be inside the arrivals lounge wandering around asking arriving tourists if they need a taxi. Official taxis do not do this so, if you are approached you can be sure that the offer is for an unofficial taxi.

 

Taxi rates at Cuba Airport s – Rates are typically 20 CUC into a major city which is anything from 5 to 15 KM away. There is no surcharge for using the trunk, unlike other airports

 

Cuba Airport Concierge

 

Upon the writing of this NO Cuba Airport offers any type of concierge service for baggage

 

Cuba Airport Hotels

 

Available in: Jose Marti airport Havana, Frank Pais Airport Holguin, Juan Gualberto Gomez Varadero, Jaime González Cienfuegos, Cayo Coco Airport, Cayo Largo Airport, Cayo Guillermo Airport, Antonio Maceo Santiago de Cuba, Santa Clara, Guardalavaca

 

If you need a hotel near your Cuba Airport for a stopover flight or you simply prefer to stay near to airpotrt the night your are leaving or the day you arrive because it is late or you prefer less distance for an early start then you can book hotels in Cuba in advance.

 

 

Cuba Airport Services 101

 

 

 

Jose Marti Airport | Havana Cuba

Jose Marti Airport

Jose Marti Airport

Jose Marti airport (IATA – HAV) located in the Boyeros district on the outskirts of Havana is Cuba´s largest airport. Currently three terminals exist at Jose Marti Airport, terminal 3 being the most modern being constructed ina joint venture with a Canadian company.
Jose Marti Airport known by older Cubans as its former name Rancho Boyeros Airport, situated 15 km (8.9 mi) to the south of Havana, Cuba. The main center and flight hub for Aerogaviota , Cubana de Aviación, and Aero Caribbean. It is Cuba’s foremost international and domestic gateway, it serves several million passengers each year, 85 % of Cuba’s international passengers along with Varadero’s Juan Gualberto Gómez Airport.
Jose Marti Airport links Havana with the most of the Caribbean, North, Central and South America, Europe. European flights adding up to the majority of inbound carriers at the present time but this situation may change as more U.S airports are being aprroved to offer flights to Cuba. The airport is named after Cuba´s much loved poet José Martí.
In the mid 90s charter flights began from Miami and New York City to Jose Marti Airport for Cuba Americans and, during the Obama presidency the airports now allowed to off flights to Cuba from the USA are Tampa, Key West, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles and New Orleans.
There are currently four passenger terminals in use at Jose Marti Airport plus a freight terminal. Terminal 1 is used primarily for domestic flights. Terminal 2 opened in 1988 primarily for charter flights to the United States. Ten years later on April 27, 1998, the International Terminal 3 Havana was opened by Canada’s then Prime Minister, Jean Chrétien, and Cuban ex-president, Fidel Castro. International Terminal 3 offers many modern facilities and jet ways that the former international terminal 1 did not provide. Terminal 5 is operated by Aerocaribbean.

“Jose Marti Airport | Hub of the Caribbean”

The major European carriers using Jose Marti Airport to transport passengers to Cuba are:

 

    The modern Terminal 3 Jose Marti Airport offers world class restaurants, duty free, on site Cuba car rental offices, ticket sales, Cuba hotel booking offices along with full VIP services via the VIP Lounge

    Jose Marti Airport 101

    Holguin Cuba Airport Review | E Winters

    Holguin is a tiny airport, not used to more than 8 movements a day, so when things go wrong, they simply don’t have the staff to sort out the problems. I experienced delays in both my inbound and outbound flights, so I got to see a lot of the airport. Immigration is a major hold up, since they are very thorough at checking, and have few staff. I went through the gates 4 times, and each time spent over an hour in the queue. The departure lounge is small. but with plenty of seating, and an excellent view of the apron and runways from the observation balcony upstairs. There are a few shops, and a money exchange kiosk that changes money at the exact rate, ie. it doesn’t charge commission. There are two bars serving food and drink but, this being Cuba, the food selection is limited. I was there for 3 days and all they had was cheese and ham rolls for the entire time. Overall it’s a pleasant enough place for normal transfers, but you wouldn’t want to spend a lot of time there. Expect to get wet if it’s raining, as the covered airstairs, the busses and the terminal building all leak during heavy downpours.

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    Varadero Cuba Airport Review | Gregory Silvers

    Once we arrived at Varadero Airport  we had to line up for a while to go through customs, as everyone has to go through individually to show their Visas and passports. Once through things went a lot quicker our bags were already off loaded and we found our rep who pointed us in the direction of our coach. When we got on the coach there is a man on board offering cocktails, what you aren’t told at the time is that these are not free; luckily I had done my research and knew this so turned the drinks down as we didn’t have any Pesos to pay with.

    You can get your money exchanged at the Varadero airport but everyone else has the same idea so the queues were pretty long, we decided to wait until we got to the hotel, where they accept Canadian Dollars.

    It took around 30 minutes to get to Varadero resort from Varadero airport, once inside our Varadero Hotel, there was another long queue as quite a few holiday makers had arrived at the same time, but the reception ladies were extremely friendly and told us all the information we needed to know at the time.

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    Varadero Cuba Airport Review | James Summerville

    In Cuba I´d say Varadero is the main tourist area and as such one would assume it to have a modern well equipped international airport with all the amenities one would expect, and this is the case. Like all Cuban airports this one is named after some hero from Cuban history.

     

    At least I presume it is. I didn’t notice the name emblazoned anywhere. My personal name for it is “welcome to rip off the touristas international.” But then again Varadero is not my favorite spot in Cuba.

     

    There is a selection of duty free counters on both sides of the immigration and customs barriers for last minute purchases of cigars, coffee, liquor and other items. The prices like at all airports are somewhat inflated.

     

    There is also a restaurant and bar on the upper level. Again like many other airports, the service is slow and prices outrageous. A better bet is the duty free shop. Snacks, beer and cold soft drinks can be purchased here for a reasonable price and consumed anywhere in the airport.

     

    A variation on the blatant attempt to separate a tourist from his money can be found at the main entrance to the airport where the taxis and tour group buses meet incoming passengers. Several uniformed waiters move about offering cold beer and soft drinks to newly arrived passengers who after enduring the rigors of the terminal probably could use one. The price seems reasonable, $2.00 US.

     

    However if one walks a few steps to the north end of the terminal building one can buy the same beer from a small white stall for seventy-five cents. This is where the “waiters” buy it from.

     

    On entering the country, immigration is a long and somewhat tedious process, however the airport is air conditioned. On the downside the air conditioning is more than likely broken or turned off due to a parts or other shortage. This more than likely also applies to the luggage conveyor belt as well.

     

    Customs makes much use of X-ray machines and they usually work so there is little delay here as hand searches of baggage are minimal. There is a currency exchange just after immigration and customs where Canadian and other major currencies can be exchanged for US dollars or Tourist Pesos at the accepted daily rate of exchange.

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    Havana Jose Marti Airport Review | Peter Summers

    Havana Airport (Jose Marti) has 3 terminals. Terminal 2 is mainly used for charter flights from Miami. This terminal was built few years ago and was mainly for international flights, however, seemed quite small and impractical. Since tourism kept increasing every year, a new international terminal was needed. Terminal 3 started on 1998. Since it is not a big airport, I think is running fairly well. I had been in Havana 5 times, arriving from different countries. As a rule, Immigration is fairly quick, although I found it particularly slow one night, when 3 flights from Europe arrived almost at the same time (1 hour waiting) . Luggage collection is OK. Public transport from Havana Terminal 3 is non existing, but they are plenty of taxis and the ride to the center takes no more than 30 minutes. No hotels around, so I recommend connecting passengers catch a taxi and go around the city if you stay for half a day. Facilities are few, although they are ok.

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