Travelocity fined $183,000 for booking trips to Cuba

[babylonsister]

Travelocity fined $183,000 for booking trips to Cuba
Travelocity claimed it booked more than 1,000 Cuba vacations by accident, resulting in an expensive lesson in global commerce and the U.S. embargo on travel to Cuba.
Posted on Wed, Aug. 15, 2007

BY DOUGLAS HANKS


Travelocity was fined nearly $183,000 for booking roughly 1,400 Cuba trips between 1998 and 2004, apparently the first time Washington has cracked down on a major online travel provider for violating the 1963 embargo on the communist nation.

Travelocity blamed the 1,458 violations on technical issues that were corrected years ago. ''In no way did the company intend to sell trips to Cuba,'' the spokeswoman, Ashley Johnson, wrote in an e-mail Tuesday. ``The trips to Cuba . . . were unintentionally booked online because of a technical issue several years ago and it's just now being settled.''

Johnson said the trips were booked in the United States. But Travelocity's penalty comes amid conflicts over foreign arms of U.S. firms selling trips into the popular Caribbean vacation spot. And it touches on the complications of isolating a country commercially amid an increasingly global and digital economy.

Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control also fined American Express Travel for allowing its Mexican subsidiary to book two groups on Cuba trips in December 2002 and October 2003. But while American Express paid $16,625 for its two incidents, Travelocity was fined $182,750 for 1,458 violations, OFAC disclosed Saturday.

The Travelocity fine is the second-highest imposed by the OFAC during this fiscal year, ending Sept. 30. The highest fine -- $220,000 -- was levied on LogicaCMG of Lexington, Mass. Its predecessor, CMG Telecommunications, exported computers, electronic components and technical support knowing the goods were destined for Cuba in 2001.

more...

http://www.miamiherald.com/103/story/203535.html

[dipsydoodle]

1. They're off their trolleys

I assume this link will work : http://uk.search.yahoo.com/search?p=holidays+cuba&fr=yfp-t-501&ei=UTF-8&meta=vc%3DcountryUK

1 - 10 of about 956,000 for holidays Cuba ..............lol.

What on earth is the matter with the USA ?

[elfin]

2. I really want to go to Cuba

before we destroy it after Fidel ala chain stores and restaurants, massive development etc as the new "destination". Just to see the architecture (decayed though it might be), the classic cars and the unspoiled and undeveloped natural areas. As well as imbibing generous quantities of real mojitos.

Don't want to do the end around via other ountries - want to be "legal".

Hope I live to see the day.

[B Calm]

9. I been there twice...

Both times in the Navy to GITMO. I always wanted to climb over the fence and check out the country..

[Initech]

11. I want to go see Cuba before it's destroyed as well.

[Robbien]

13. Book a trip to Canada

Once there book a trip to Cuba. It is legal there.

[steven88]

3. They must have booked Michael Moore!!

[Megahurtz]

4. Don't These Idiots Know

that the Cold War is over? Isn't this Law just a tad outdated?

[RB TexLa]

5. As an heir of investments in Cuba, no this law is not outdated. n/t

[Megahurtz]

6. It Should Be Outdated.

I don't see what purpose it serves in this day and age, except just to antagonize Castro, who I don't think really cares anyway.

[RB TexLa]

8. I checked. No EFT from the Cuban government, it's still needed

Maybe, Castro can listen to his friend Hugo about how to nationalized things, as in you do actually pay people for their stuff when you take it.

[Parche]

7. Cuba

I booked several people to Cuba, when I was at Adidas, we routed them thru Cancun...8years ago :hi:

[Robson]

10. 45 years of a ridiculous incompetent US embargo-- why?

While the entire world establishes relations and business with Cuba, the USA continues with a 45+year embargo that has accomplished nothing. Actually it may have protected Cuba from the USA corporate predators that will use $$$$ to corrupt and influence and bribe government officials for self gain.

[Initech]

12. Both Bush's dad and his grandfather had ties to militant anti-Castro groups.

[Robson]

14. The Mafia?

Weren't they in Cuba and tight with Batista too?

[Initech]

15. Hard to say.

The amount of reading and research that I've done into the JFK assassination has led me to believe that the BFEE (the real Mafia in this country) has had control of our government since the early 60's. The Bay Of Pigs invasion was another attempt to assassinate Castro, and when Kennedy failed to do that, that was the final nail in the coffin (in this case literally), and Bush Sr. made him pay the ultimate sacrifice for it. So since Bush's dad hated Castro so much, the failed assassination attempt resulted in the subsequent embargo.