First commercial U.S.-Havana flight lands as Cuba mourns Fidel Castro

HAVANA — In an eerie coincidence, the first regularly scheduled U.S. commercial flight to Cuba's capital since 1961 landed Monday in time for the start of formal mourning for the man who played a major role in the suspension of that air route.

Some passengers on historic American Airlines Flight 17 said they did not make the journey to pay respects to longtime Cuban leader Fidel Castro, who died Friday at age 90.

For Roberto Gomez, it meant he could attend the funeral of his 89-year-old mother.

Air travel between the two countries used to be done exclusively by tightly regulated charter companies that made booking a flight cumbersome, complicated and expensive. A round-trip flight to Cuba from Miami could cost up to $600.

As part of the normalization of relations initiated by President Obama and Cuban President Raúl Castro in December 2014, U.S. airlines were granted the rights to operate regular flights that could be easily booked online and cost far less — Monday's round-trip flight from Miami was $239.

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JetBlue flew the first U.S. commercial flight to Cuba in August, a short hop from Fort Lauderdale to the Cuban city of Santa Clara. On Monday, Flight 17 became the first to land in Havana, a 45-minute flight carrying 147 passengers wearing straw fedora hats — gifts from American Airlines.

One of those was Gomez, 61, a health care worker who left his native Cuba 10 years ago and now lives in the Miami suburb of Homestead. As his mother got sicker over the years, he became terrified he'd miss her funeral because of the inefficient charter system that used to be the only travel option. Cubans generally bury their dead within 24 hours, so he felt he wouldn't make it in time due to all the phone calls and paperwork necessary to arrange those flights.

He got the call that she died Sunday and immediately started the process. Then his niece told him about the new flights. They checked online, booked the flight and landed in Havana at 8:25 a.m. Monday — in plenty of time for the 4 p.m. funeral.

"I had no idea what was going on," Gomez said as he sat with his wife and sister in the boarding area at Miami International Airport surrounded by red, white and blue balloons and American officials hosting a news conference. "This was really a blessing," he said.

Others on board knew exactly what was happening. Daniel and Beth Lewis of Cape Cod, Mass., were determined to be on the first Havana flight so they could finally tour the island they'd dreamed of for so long.

"I've wanted to do this all my life," she said.

Daniel Lewis, 61, an architect, said he was mostly interested in learning about Cuba's architecture and interacting with its people. He said the fact that he'll probably run into memorial services for Fidel Castro was simply a surprising coincidence.

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"We certainly didn't plan that part," he said.

Cubans are planning a week of memorial services for Castro. A rally honoring the late leader is planned in Havana on Tuesday.  Hundreds of thousands of Cubans bade farewell to him Monday, paying tribute before images of the leader as a young revolutionary. Lines stretched for hours outside the Plaza of the Revolution where Castro had given speeches to supporters after he seized power.

Tribute sites were set up in hundreds of spots across Cuba as the government urged people to reaffirm their belief in a socialist, single-party system.

Kevin Mase, the captain of Monday's flight, said it was an honor to helm the historic flight. But he's been been flying charter flights to Cuba for years, meaning there was only one tangible difference Monday.

"We got a jet bridge this time," he said.

Charter flights from the U.S. had always deplaned at a small terminal no bigger than an airplane hangar. Passengers boarded those planes on a staircase and walked to the tiny terminal.

As part of the new aviation agreement, U.S. flights can now use the main international terminal at José Martí International Airport, complete with jetway privileges.

Monday's flight will soon be followed by other U.S. carriers. Seven other airlines have been granted routes to Havana and will begin operating them in the coming weeks.

Howard Kass, vice president of regulatory affairs for American Airlines, said it took many months of negotiations with the U.S. Transportation Department and its Cuban counterpart to reach this point.

"We're in uncharted territory," he said.

Contributing: The Associated Press