The Panamanian airline Copa Airlines announced this Thursday that it will offer flexibility so that Cubans affected by the entry into force of the transit visa can reschedule their flights. The news of the requirement of a new document, that jumped this wednesdayhas caused a real earthquake in the surroundings of the Embassy of Panama in Havana, where hundreds of affected people have gathered demanding solutions in the last two days.
“Faced with this situation, Copa Airlines will offer flexibility for passengers who need to modify their travel plans in order to meet the new requirements. To reschedule your trip, you can contact our Reservation Centers or visit our sales offices,” the company explained. in a statement released Thursday night.
Copa thus agrees to make ticket changes more flexible, a procedure not so simple before, after the scandal generated by Panama’s untimely decision to require a transit visa
The note recalls that the transit visa requirement for Cubans comes into effect on March 13, so those who travel earlier are not affected. There will also be no problems for those who fly after March 31, since there is enough time to get a consular appointment to obtain the document. The problems are for those who had tickets between March 13 and 30, who must change their ticket.
The transit visa gives the right to stay in Panamanian territory for 24 hours, it costs 50 dollars and must be requested at least 15 business days before the trip at the consulate of the country of origin.
There are also some exceptions. Those who have a valid visa or residence from Canada, the United States, Korea, Japan, the United Kingdom, Singapore and any of the countries of the European Union do not need the document. This visa must be multiple and have been previously used, in addition to having a validity of not less than 6 months at the time of arrival in Panama.
Copa thus agrees to make ticket changes more flexible, a procedure not so simple before, after the scandal generated by Panama’s untimely decision to require a transit visa.
Hundreds of affected Cubans have spent two days stationed outside the country’s consulate in Havana causing, on the first day, a great chaos of crying, shouting and pushing. The second, this Thursday, was controlled by the Cuban Police, who established a strong fence to keep the crowd away several blocks from the diplomatic headquarters and diverting traffic to prevent a repetition of the confusion of the previous day.
For some users, the solution is not to reschedule, but rather a moratorium that allows traveling without the document until the appointments are adapted.
However, it is not foreseeable that the measure will completely calm the angry spirits. Many Cubans have seen a way to vent on the Facebook page of the Panamanian Embassy, where they had already protested the forced rescheduling. “I do not understand how a measure of this nature can be implemented without prior notice and without giving a margin of time so that citizens can carry out the corresponding procedures. (…) Do they not know how cumbersome it is to reschedule one more flight if they have connection between two different airlines? It is a great lack of respect for citizens”, lamented a passenger.
For some users, the solution is not to reschedule, but rather a moratorium that allows them to travel without the document until the appointments are adapted. “I have a ticket from 2 years ago and every time the flight is approaching something happens (…) That they let March fly in full,” asked another.
Numerous Cubans have also complained that those who do not reside in Havana also have to travel to the capital to request the new document, which further complicates the situation. There are hundreds of messages that accumulate in the networks of the Embassy imploring that the requirement be postponed or that the document be provided directly at the airport after paying the fee.
The Cuban authorities are taking advantage of the crisis generated by the adoption of this measure to avoid any responsibility and blame it on the Panamanian Government, for implementing the requirement, and on the United States, for “failing to comply with migratory commitments” by not delivering the visas agreed upon in previous decades and “stimulate irregular immigration”.
“The Revolution does not leave them abandoned and supports them,” shouted the official, acclaimed by those present. “It’s a pleasure to be here with you”
This was expressed by the press and was encouraged on Wednesday night by the vice president of the Provincial Council of Havana, Orestes Llanes Mestre, who stood next to the citizens who demanded solutions, presenting the Cuban government as a mediator.
“The Revolution does not leave them abandoned and supports them,” shouted the official, acclaimed by those present. “It is a pleasure to be here with you. Recognize that we are here and we know that we are going to address very correct people who are claiming a right that assists them,” he continued. “Our Ministry of Foreign Affairs is negotiating with the Panamanian Government, that is, you are not alone in this battle,” he concluded to applause.
Since the Nicaraguan government approved the visa waiver in November, that country has become the starting point for thousands of Cubans who begin their journey into exile there. But to get to Managua by land, it is essential to cross Costa Rica, which tried to cut off the enormous flow by requiring a transit visa in February, even for those who arrive by plane from Panama with a stopover in San José.
The measure of the Government of Daniel Ortega, presumably in collusion with Havana, has been denounced by the Cuban exile community as a method of pressure from both regimes to create a new Mariel in slow motion towards the United States.
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