In the meantime in Havana,

[Cleita]

Last edited Thu Jul 11, 2013, 06:56 PM - Edit history (1)

two flights from Moscow are due to arrive at 6:50 ET on time.

Aeroflot Flight 150 from Moscow to Havana and Cubana de Aviacion Flight CU6150. For any reporters tracking this, I hope they meet the right plane if they are looking for Edward Snowden.

Correction: There was one flight. It was a code share. My apologies.

[flamingdem]

1. I think it's a code share

So it's just that one arrival time.

Yohandry the blogger who basically tweets the government line noted that there are rumors about this. That tells me as a long time Cuba watcher that Snowden isn't on the plane.

Or, it's so top secret that was a smoke screen, but pretty sure Havana doesn't want to facilitate.

[Cleita]

4. I think you are right. It was sort of confusing. n/t

[flamingdem]

2. He mentions the weather factor

https://twitter.com/Yohandry8787

Yohandry Fontana ‏@Yohandry8787 3h

#Snowden Los vuelos han cambiado su ruta por mal clima. 'The Washington Post' se inventa una historia, jiij http://bit.ly/15yRHhy


RT en Español
Medios: Snowden podría estar en vuelo de Aeroflot a La Habana que...

Especulan con una posible presencia de Edward Snowden en un avión de Aeroflot que vuela de Moscú a La Habana que cambió de rumbo, informa 'The Washington Post'.

[CakeGrrl]

3. I doubt Cuba is going to want to publicize the stopover

if stories are true that they're looking to improve relations with the U.S. I don't think they'd want to be confirmed as facilitating a U.S. fugitive.

[flamingdem]

6. But everyone will now and the passengers will blab

So we should be hearing soon!

Plus, in Cuba there are full time correspondents from CNN and BBC.
They might even do a little cute video out at the airport. Hope so!

Hmm. Should check their twitter feeds and see if they're interested at all.

[HipChick]

8. Alex for $500..

He's not on it...unless he using another name

[flamingdem]

10. Patrick Oppman from CNN is at the airport, not much to report on there!

https://twitter.com/CNN_Oppmann

* nice relief from reporting on the price of rum

Patrick Oppmann CNN ‏@CNN_Oppmann 59m
This time for real? Once again at Jose Marti Int'l Airport, waiting for #Snowden #Cuba

[HipChick]

12. ugh...I just saw his assignments..Carribean beachs? really?

Must suck to be him..

[flamingdem]

26. He's a doofus

but he has a great gig. He's gotten better with time

[flamingdem]

11. I agree and Oppman will do a cute report on it

With cranky passengers and tourists looking disoriented.

Quien?

[backscatter712]

5. The flight is just about to land.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/AFL150

It won't be long.

[Cleita]

9. According to my flight tracker it's circling the airport for a landing.

[flamingdem]

7. Patrick Oppman of CNN is there at the aiport woo hoo!

https://twitter.com/CNN_Oppmann

Patrick Oppmann CNN ‏@CNN_Oppmann 59m
This time for real? Once again at Jose Marti Int'l Airport, waiting for #Snowden #Cuba

[UTUSN]

13. NOORY had an hour or two on Bigfoot last night, so the time has COME!1 n/t

[flamingdem]

14. Is Bigfoot on the plane too?

How did it get a passport ...

[flamingdem]

15. Bored journalists query Oppman

Peter H. Hellmonds ‏@phellmon 2m

@CNN_Oppmann The plane just landed. Any sightings?

[Cleita]

16. According to aeroflot, the plane has arrived in Havana.

Now is Snowden aboard or not?

[backscatter712]

17. Might take some time.

The passengers have to deplane, go get their luggage... Normally, people meet the passengers at the exit from the terminal concourses, after they've gone through customs, and for all we know, Snowden may simply be getting right on another flight, say to La Paz or Caracas.

[Cleita]

18. I would consider that his best move. n/t

[allin99]

48. i would be so impressed. lol. Putin woulda have had to...

instruct them to hide homeboy in some comparment somewhere and let him be the last one off the plane after everyone was long gone. But alas, it's too risky that whoever he had do it would rat him out and just get aslyum in the u.s.

[flamingdem]

19. Doubt there is a late flight to Caracas, maybe

If not he'll have to go through Immigration.

However people with cell phones could get the word out, if any journalists bothered to take that flight

[HipChick]

21. He has no legal paperwork to get through immigration though

[flamingdem]

23. Asylum document? nt

[HipChick]

20. International connections this late

Overnighting more than likely..

[Cleita]

24. I wonder if they have a transit zone like Moscow does?

That would avoid customs and other inconveniences if you are just waiting for a connecting flight and not staying.

[flamingdem]

25. Flight at 8pm, he can do it, maybe

FLIGHT SCHEDULE
Direct Flights:
Mon-Fri,Sun 20:20 Havana (HAV) 2 23:50 Caracas (CCS)
V0 4101 Non-stop Embraer EMB 190 / EMB 195 (E90) 4:00 Effective from 2013-10-27
Mon-Fri,Sun 21:20 Havana (HAV) 2 23:50 Caracas (CCS)
V0 4101 Non-stop Embraer EMB 190 / EMB 195 (E90) 3:00 Valid until 2013-10-25

[flamingdem]

22. HAV to CCS schedule - he can avoid immigration perhaps

FLIGHT SCHEDULE
Direct Flights:
Mon-Fri,Sun 20:20 Havana (HAV) 2 23:50 Caracas (CCS)
V0 4101 Non-stop Embraer EMB 190 / EMB 195 (E90) 4:00 Effective from 2013-10-27
Mon-Fri,Sun 21:20 Havana (HAV) 2 23:50 Caracas (CCS)
V0 4101 Non-stop Embraer EMB 190 / EMB 195 (E90) 3:00 Valid until 2013-10-25

[Cleita]

27. It would seem so. Still we don't know if he was aboard. n/t

[flamingdem]

28. We don't but if they avoided US airspace they didn't have to give the manifest

So if they now can steer him through customs secretly he's home free for 2 flights to Caracas

[Cleita]

30. I actually have done that but on a prop plane. It shouldn't take him more than an hour

to get to Caracas if I'm right. I should look up the flight to get the actual flight time.

[flamingdem]

32. The only hangup is that passengers will say he was on the flight

Thus, creating a dolor de cabeza for Raul Castro.

Maybe they put a bag over his head!

[Cleita]

34. Actually the flight time is less than three hours. I was a little off. It didn't seem that long back

when I flew from Havana to Caracas but memories being what they are and I was a child. Somehow I don't think Raul is that concerned considering his brother's history of poking his finger in the eye of Uncle Sam all the time.

They could have put Snowden in disguise which might be an explanation why he's been so elusive. I myself would put him drag. He wouldn't make a very attractive woman, but then that could be good because no one would want to look at him that much.

[morningfog]

35. Mustache, wig and glasses. Or maybe in drag.

[flamingdem]

38. So we might not even know for sure

if he was on the flight.

But he can't just disappear from sight and leave all in the know lying about how he got there.. can he?

Not very transparent!

[Cleita]

40. I vote for drag. No one would look at him because no one pays much attention

to unattractive women.

[HooptieWagon]

36. I'm sure its more than an hour.

more like 4- 5 hrs or so.

[Cleita]

37. It is. It's about 3 or 4 hours.

My estimate was way off.

[HooptieWagon]

49. I flew Miami to Caracas.

I knew it was much longer than an hour. Tampa to Miami or Havana is about an hour. It was about 8 hours to get to Cartegena, but I don't remember if that was from Miami or San Juan.

[Cleita]

51. I used to do it back before jets, when I was a kid. On props you had a lot

of stops on the way in different countries. We even used to stop in Havana before Castro. But the timeline was a little hazy with me and I've never done it on a jet. It seemed to me like it should have been much faster.

[HooptieWagon]

56. I've also done Florida to Venezuela by sailboat.

Much longer than 4 hours.... 8 days.

[Cleita]

57. I've done it on ocean liner too but not to Caracas but to the panama canal. I think it was about a

week from New York. I know we stopped in Cuba but I don't remember how long it took, just that it took a week to get to the
canal.

[flamingdem]

29. Raul might have some 'splainin to do if

Snowden shows up in Caracas

[HooptieWagon]

31. Aeroflot has 5 flights weekly.

Every day except wednesday and friday. Another Russian airline called Transaero has a once weekly flight on fridays. Those were the only non-stop Moscow to Havana flights I could find. I could not find any non-stop commericial Moscow to Caracas flight.

[flamingdem]

33. Here are two

FLIGHT SCHEDULE
Direct Flights:
Mon-Fri,Sun 20:20 Havana (HAV) 2 23:50 Caracas (CCS)
V0 4101 Non-stop Embraer EMB 190 / EMB 195 (E90) 4:00 Effective from 2013-10-27
Mon-Fri,Sun 21:20 Havana (HAV) 2 23:50 Caracas (CCS)
V0 4101 Non-stop Embraer EMB 190 / EMB 195 (E90) 3:00 Valid until 2013-10-25

[HooptieWagon]

39. Those aren't Moscow to Caracas.

They are Havana to Caracas. Did you even read them?

[Cleita]

41. There isn't any from Moscow. That's why he has to go to Havana first for a connecting flight.n/t

[HooptieWagon]

44. Unless he gets money for a charter flight.

Then he can go straight through to Caracas.

[Cleita]

46. Oh sure, but there is no commercial flight. n/t

[HooptieWagon]

52. Yes, I looked it up and posted that info a week ago.

[flamingdem]

42. People have known that there are no such flights since he got to Moscow

So I assumed you were caught up and knew what we're looking at here

[flamingdem]

43. CONFIRMED by pilot that Snowden is not on board - via RT

RT_Cuba ‏@RT_Cuba 1m

Otra vez, #Snowden no estaba a bordo del vuelo AFL150. Confirmado por el piloto.

Flamingdem with the bilingual scoop! Sharing info with all parts of the political spectrum

[Cleita]

45. That's that, but we pretty much knew that anyway. n/t

[flamingdem]

47. Yes, I'm glad since I don't want to see Cuba get hosed over Snowden

And there are plenty of elements who'd run with it and wreck the current talks going on w/the US and Cuba

[flamingdem]

50. Everyone disembarked, but what if he was in disguise?

Patrick Oppmann CNN ‏@CNN_Oppmann 2m

All passengers appear to have disembarked Aeroflot 150, no sign of #Snowden. #Cuba

[Cleita]

53. That's kind of almost wishful thinking, but it would save face for Raul.

He could claim he didn't know.

[flamingdem]

55. Good thinking. That almost sounds like what Wikileaks would do

Fantastic if they pulled that off. I approve of such a wacky plan.

But they have to share the pictures.

[Catherina]

54. Not on Aeroflot flight according to the pilot.

Putting my Cuba Libre back into the fridge.

[flamingdem]

58. Yep. Oppmann doing cute interviews with deplaning passengers

Patrick Oppmann CNN ‏@CNN_Oppmann 6m

Talking with Aeroflot 150 passengers now. Going like this: "Priviet, Snowden? Nyet!"