TIA could add charter flights to Cuba

TAMPA - Tampa International Airport could soon offer flights to Cuba.

Representative Kathy Castor says she has asked the Obama administration to designate TIA as an airport that could offer flights to Cuba.

Right now, only three places can do so: Miami, Los Angeles and New York.

So charters to Cuba may soon be flying out of TIA, meaning easier access to flights for travelers heading to Cuba, as well as a boost to the local economy.

"If they could get those charter flights at Tampa International Airport, the airport would have to hire new personnel," Castor said. "Have additional people flying the aircraft. Flight attendance, it just has a multiplying effect, and it couldn't come at a better time."

When the Obama administration announced last month that it was easing restrictions on travel to Cuba, thousands of Hispanic families saw it as a chance to go back home.

The number of Cuban-Americans visiting Cuba is up 20 percent so far this year, and many Bay Area residents are visiting family they haven't seen in years. But getting to and from the island is not that easy, with the limited number of airports that can offer the flights.

"This is an important first step, because we're providing the ground work for what could be an eventual travel to Cuba for all Americans," Castor said.

St. Petersburg also stands to gain.

"We see opening up Cuba as a major boom for our port. And we don't have a deep channel port, but we could benefit a great deal from the smaller cruise ships," U.S. Representative Bill Heller said.

Cuba has been mostly off-limits to Americans since the U.S. imposed a trade embargo more than 45 years ago. But this could be the beginning of a relationship thousands have been waiting for.

If approved, the charter flights could start as early as September. Airport officials say they are ready.