Montrealers with family in Cuba concerned after Air Canada cancels flights for 8 months

As Air Canada cancelled all flights to Cuba through November, Montrealers with family on the Caribbean island are growing more concerned.

The sunny yellow walls of La Cecilia Cuban restaurant on Belanger Street in Montreal are filled with handwritten names and notes reflecting the loved ones stranded in Cuba.

Chef and owner Alexy Dias Arcia says he’s thinking of his extended family in Cuba and is worried about them, as the country faces power and fuel shortages.

“It’s hard,” says Arcia, shaking his head.

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It’s become even more difficult since Air Canada suspended direct flights to Cuba until November. Travel agent Paloma Mosquera is helping clients find other routes to Cuba to visit loved ones.

“Passengers can fly from Montreal to Miami. And then Miami to Cuba. Or, Montreal to Panama, Montreal to Mexico,” she said.

Fearing other airlines will follow Air Canada’s lead, travel agent Matthieu Wallace says prices are already skyrocketing.

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“You’ve got to expect about $2,000 just to fly in and out to Cuba. And even then, you need to have a proper documents because not everybody can be approved to go to Cuba,” he said.

Meanwhile, in Villeray, the volunteers with a local Cuban community group are collecting their second load of donations to be shipped to families in need.

“We sort it. We take down what it is, and we make a record of it and put them in boxes that we later send to Cuba in different ways,” said Sean O’Donoghue of the Table de concertation de solidarité Québec - Cuba.

Medicine, food, and other essentials will all be shipped by container.