$750 for LAX-Cuba Tickets

The charter company that soon will offer nonstop flights between Southern California and Cuba announced details Monday of the trips, which will reopen travel to a nation that has been inaccessible from here for nearly 40 years.

Cuba Travel Services Inc. of Inglewood will charter weekly $750 round-trip flights from Los Angeles International Airport to Havana on TACA International Airlines and serve as a licensed travel agency under U.S. government guidelines, officials said. The agency also will be a channel to Cuba for licensed humanitarian donations of money, food, clothing and other goods.

The agency expects to begin booking flights within two weeks, pending the approval of a final flight plan by the U.S. Transportation Department, said Michael Zuccato, general manager.

Company President George Tejadilla explained why organizers chose Martin Luther King Day to announce details of the first regular air service from the West Coast since the 1962 U.S. trade embargo.

“Dr. King’s philosophy that people throughout the world should be united for the sake of humanity underscores our belief that, through more direct contact between the people of the United States and Cuba, cultural and political differences can be bridged,” he said.

President Clinton authorized the flights in August as part of modifications to sanctions against Cuba. Direct flights are already available to Havana from Miami and New York City.

Demand for local flights to Cuba has been high for years, according to local travel agents. West Coast travelers have been flying to Cuba by way of Mexico or Miami, frequently with long layovers in the process.

Travel will be limited to those with relatives in Cuba, researchers, journalists, human rights workers and others with a professional interest in Cuba. The U.S. government still does not allow Americans to travel to Cuba as tourists.

In addition to the round-trip fare, native Cubans living in the United States will be charged $125 by the Cuban government for a visa. Obtaining one can take as long as a month, Zuccato said. All others who meet the U.S. requirements will be charged $20 for a visa and usually will be able to get one within 48 hours, he said.

Though the expansion of air travel to Cuba is welcomed by many Cuban Americans who visit relatives on the island each year, others fear that the new policy will strengthen and prolong Fidel Castro’s regime.

Clinton also reestablished direct mail service between the nations and gave permission for any U.S. resident to send as much as $300 every three months to Cuban residents.