Charter will offer jet service from Tampa Bay to Cuba The Associated Press Posted November 26 2002 ST. PETERSBURG · A new charter out of the Tampa Bay area will begin taking travelers to Cuba just in time for the holidays. Operators of Air MarBrisa will launch the first flights within 10 days. Airline CEO Robert Curtis said his Fairchild Metro twin-engine prop jet will carry only cargo on its initial trips from Tampa Bay Executive Airport in Odessa. By Christmas, it will ferry passengers from St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport. The flights must stop in Miami to clear customs before continuing to Cuba. For Rafael de Jesus Bande, 70, the airline opens the door to see his siblings again after four decades and to show his wife, eight children and 18 grandchildren his homeland. He and his wife say they'll be the first passengers. They already have boxes packed full of medicines, fish nets and household goods for family members. "It's a dream," Bande said. "I told my kids, `You are all going to Cuba next year. ... We are going to stay in the attic.' I want my family there to know the wonderful family I got here." Curtis, 55, is the chief operating officer for Strong Arm Cargo Inc. in Odessa, which will run the airline. In March, two special licenses arrived from the U.S. Treasury Department to operate a carrier and travel arrangement service to Cuba. The Cuban government granted him approval this year, Curtis said, and the Federal Aviation Administration signed off on the operation Oct. 31. Curtis hired 10 pilots and will work with Miami associate Armin Altarac, a specialist in international transportation for more than 30 years. "This whole thing I thought at one point was pie in the sky," said Curtis, a retired FAA air traffic control supervisor who's been running a nationwide cargo service while waiting for approval. "I'd given up a half dozen times." Curtis will help travelers get visas -- as long is their purpose doesn't violate the embargo. Legal travel to Cuba is restricted to people with relatives there, students, educators, and professionals such as journalists, doctors and athletes. Cultural exchange programs count. Curtis said he plans to be competitive with Miami flights to Cuba, possibly charging up to $500. Some charters fly Miami-Cuba round-trip for $300 to $400. _________________________________________________________________ MSN 8 helps eliminate e-mail viruses. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus