Cuba: ACTA president, WestJet CEO address flight suspensions; tourist board thanks industry for support

This story was updated on Tuesday, February 10 at 5:20 p.m. EST 

The Association of Canadian Travel Agencies and Travel Advisors (ACTA) says it is closely watching Air Canada, Air Transat, and WestJet’s decisions to suspend Cuba service and is evaluating the impact on agencies, advisors, and their clients.

“The withdrawal of service to Cuba by multiple Canadian carriers creates immediate and significant disruption for travellers, as well as for travel agencies and travel advisors working to support them,” said ACTA President Suzanne Acton-Gervais in a press release Tuesday (Feb. 10).

With Cuba long a popular destination, “thousands of Canadians are facing rebookings, destination changes, or cancellations,” Acton-Gervais said.

She stressed that this situation shows “why working with professional travel agencies and travel advisors matters,” as they secure alternatives, navigate supplier policies, and manage complex rebookings during a “highly fluid situation.”

The suspension during peak winter season also adds “considerable strain across the system,” requiring coordination among airlines, tour operators, hotels, and insurers, and creating “significant additional workload” for agencies nationwide, ACTA said.

A call for commission protection

The association is urging airline and supplier partners to provide clear, timely communication, flexible policies, protected commissions, and self-service tools so advisors can handle changes and refunds, and access inventory, without long hold times.

READ MORE: “Heartbreaking”: Cancellations, recalls & communities left behind – agents react to Cuba

These expectations are part of ACTA’s established “ASKs” – Supplier Best Practices, which aim to improve servicing, transparency, and efficiency across the travel ecosystem.

Advisors are dedicating extensive time to support clients and “must be equipped with high quality self-service tools and supported with fair compensation,” Acton-Gervais added.

She also highlighted the importance of travel insurance, noting that unexpected changes underscore the need for coverage that offers “meaningful protection and peace of mind” – policies that travel advisors can help clients understand.

Cuba Tourist Board thanks industry, offers apologies

This week's flight suspensions follow mounting operational challenges tied to fuel supply – among other things, such as food shortages and rolling blackouts – in Cuba.

The disruptions come amid renewed pressure from the United States.  The Trump administration is cutting Cuba off from using traditional fuel sources in an effort to increase economic pressure on the island nation, which has long been subject to strict U.S. sanctions.

The tightening of fuel access has contributed to the instability at Cuban airports, resulting in a NOTAM warning to airlines on Sunday. 

In an open letter posted Tuesday (Feb. 10), the Cuba Tourist Board in Toronto thanked the Canadian travel industry for their “unwavering support” as it faces logistical challenges “beyond our control,” stemming from “a complex global geopolitical landscape” that has strained international supply chains.

The organization also offered “sincere apologies to the thousands of passengers whose long-awaited vacations have been disrupted.”

“We also wish to recognize the immense effort put forth by our travel partners—the advisors, tour operators, and all involved-who have worked tirelessly to accommodate their clients during this time. Your dedication does not go unnoticed,” the letter reads.

“We wish to reassure you that many tourism facilities in Cuba remain operational and guests currently at their destinations will continue to enjoy their stays as planned until their scheduled return dates.”

The tourist board goes on to say it remains in constant communication with all tour operators to ensure “every request is met and every traveller is cared for with the warmth Cuba is known for.”

“In these challenging moments, we have been overwhelmed by the messages of solidarity, empathy and love pouring in from our loyal partners and the many ‘repeaters’ who consider Cuba their second home,” the letter reads. “This connection is the heartbeat of our industry.”

The tourist board added that Cuba is a nation “defined by its resilience.”

“We have overcome obstacles before, and we will overcome this as well. We are looking forward to the brighter days ahead when we can once again welcome our Canadian friends back to our shores with open arms,” the organization wrote.

Airlines press pause 

Over the coming days, Air Canada plans to operate empty flights to Cuba to pick up and return roughly 3,000 customers currently in destination.

As reported, the airline’s seasonal flights to Holguín and Santa Clara are cancelled for the rest of the season.

Meanwhile, Air Canada’s flights to Varadero and Cayo Coco, which are normally year-round, are suspended, with a tentative restart on May 1 (pending review).

The WestJet Group's decision to wind down winter operations in Cuba will affect WestJet, Sunwing Vacations, WestJet Vacations and Vacances WestJet Quebec.

It, too, will begin operating empty aircraft to Cuba to support an organized return of guests currently vacationing there. Air Transat will do the same.

The moves, which include various rebooking and refund policies, effectively removes a significant portion of Canadian airlift to Cuba during peak winter season.

PAX contacted all affected airlines on Tuesday to request follow-up responses regarding Cuba and, as of press time, only Air Transat had replied.

The airline said it decided to suspend Cuba flights due to “increased pressure on local tourism resources,” as well as a notice issued by Cuban authorities regarding an aviation fuel shortage at destination airports.

“At this time, Air Transat’s priority is to ensure the orderly return of its customers currently at destination,” the airline said. “To this end, a repatriation flight plan to Canada is currently being prepared and will be deployed over the coming days. Air Transat will contact affected customers directly to provide them with the details of their repatriation flight.”

Additionally, travel advisors will not have their commissions protected for Cuba bookings as payments are “only issued once travel has taken place,” the company said.

“This also applies to bookings paid with a travel credit.”

WestJet CEO calls for "timely resolution"

Alexis von Hoensbroech, CEO of the WestJet Group (which includes Sunwing Vacations), took to LinkedIn on Tuesday to address the company’s “difficult decision” to pause operations in Cuba.

“As the largest airline in Cuba, this is particularly challenging for everyone. We operate on average 100 flights per week to seven different airports on the island, carrying more than 15,000 guests to Cuba every week,” von Hoensbroech said.

The executive wrote that while the Cuban government and hotels are doing “a great job” in maintaining a stable and safe experience for tourists, “we are all witnessing how the overall supply situation deteriorates for Cuba.”

“As of this morning, Cuba cannot supply airlines with jet fuel, forcing airlines to tanker fuel and/or plan for expensive fuel stops on the way back from Cuba. It is also not clear how much longer tourist resorts can sustain their supplies, let alone the people in Cuba who are the most impacted,” von Hoensbroech wrote.

The CEO said that over the next week, WestJet will operate around 100 flights to Cuba as scheduled, flying empty aircraft down and repatriating Canadians on the way back.

“We will then pause operations until the supply situation recovers, at which time we will return serving Cuba at scale, which certainly remains one of the favorite vacation islands for Canadians in the Caribbean,” he wrote. “Our thoughts are with the people in Cuba as they manage their daily lives against this uncertainty and challenge, and we hope for a timely resolution for everyone's benefit!”

In a statement to CTVNews.ca, a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada (GAC) said that as of Monday, 7,204 Canadians are registered as being in Cuba.

GAC, however, noted that registration is voluntary and does not represent the total number of Canadians currently in the country.

Meanwhile, the Government of Canada's travel advice page for Cuba currently warns Canadians to exercise "a high degree of caution" due to worsening shortages of electricity, fuel and basic necessities including food, water, and medicine, "which can also affect resorts."

"The situation is unpredictable and could deteriorate, disrupting flight availability on short notice," the notice reads.

PAX spoke to Canadian travel advisors on Tuesday (Feb. 10) to get their take on Cuba's situation. Click here to read our story.

Don't miss a single travel story: subscribe to PAX today!  Click here to follow PAX on Facebook.