Cuba and lighters


Ryan

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I work to the rule of never take a lighter or cutter overseas that you can't live without.

Even the best organized person will accidentally (on occasion) put his favourtie $100 cutter or lighter in Check in. It could be that late night herf or simply exhuastion from that 12 days away. It happens.

For lighters I travel with IRODA Multi jets. (thanks Bear for putting me onto them). I throw the Bick refill into the a different compartment of the check in. I break apart the lighter mechanism. They can take the Bic but they can't take the broken apart lighter. Get home and slot another one in.

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Its been about 4 years since i was in cuba, but when i was there i couldnt find a torch lighter in havana or varadero for love nor money.

we are planning to go back next year so im glad to hear that things have changed and some shops are now selling torch lighters, i will get my hands on an iroda microjet too.

Cheers for the update andy.

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I was thinking of getting a IRODA micro jet lighter, is it worth it to buy given i can seperate the fuel cell from the lighter? I was thinking of just packing the lighter part serperated in my checked luggage and the fuel cell in a platic bag on my carry on as air transat stipulates that is ok

I have flown with full irodas (bic) broken apart many times....even once with you I think Riaz lol

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I flew out of Puerta Vallarta a few years back and forgot I had a Xilar torch lighter in my carry on. The lads at security found it and I thought goodbye. They flicked on, nice blue flame, talked it over and put it through the X-ray all by itself. It rolled out on the conveyor and they gave it back to me! Muchas gracias!

The truth is, go with the flow. Don't travel with anything you cannot part with.

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Just lost my retro fitted jet flame zippo at Melbourne Airport. Travelled all over Europe and was fine on the way down here, but the lady at the X-ray machine today wasn't in a good mood. Smithy!?!? Thanks for sorting out the best lighter I ever had. #sadface

Sent from my iPhone

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I try not to overthink, or trip out about it. I throw lighters and cutters in my check-in, never in my carry on. and like Pres said, to avoid dissapointment i don't bring any expensive tools....not that i really have any :lmao: just xikar cutter and mini iroda lighter and cheapo single jets. That being said, if i'm feeling paranoid that day for some reason, i budget out 10 CUC for those lighter pieces of crap they sell at the souvenir shops on the resort and leave everything at home. For those worried about losing their cheapos, it's just lighters, not narcotics LOL...TBH im more worried about having my lighter leaking or bursting in my check-in and ruining my clothes or something.

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I forgot to mention this after my last trip. On the way out of Havana airport, security were going through every carry on bag and confiscating every lighter they could find. I lost 6. All cheapos. Hard flame or soft flame didn't matter. Everything. None of the shops airside were selling any either, they told us they were no longer allowed. I bummed a bic off an Austrian tourist who managed to get one through.

This was one week after the Paris attacks so may have been related.

Anyway, just a word of warning, don't travel to Havana with a lighter you'll be upset to lose. Or cutters for that matter.

Most of the hotel shops sell cheap lighters, from 2 cuc up to 15. At 15 you get a hard flame lighter with a little bottle of gas. A handy thing, gas can be hard to find in Cuba.

Ryan, thanks for posting this. I posted similar in my Havana Follow-Up thread from a week or two ago. They were doing the same thing at the Varadero airport - anything that even LOOKED like a lighter, they were freaking out about.

I had my Iroda packed in my carry-on. Goes through the Xray. A guy and a gal start nearly yelling at and lecturing my wife, URGENTLY demanding she open up her bag because she had a lighter, not giving her two seconds to breathe to get her shoes back on (she was hopping on one foot basically).

I take one look at the Xray - I say to the dude, "Um, do you mean MY bag and MY lighter???" I could see from the Xray my badge in my wallet right beside the Iroda lighter in the Xray.

At least 30-40 seconds of debating in Spanish between the guy and the gal running the Xray over who's damn bag it was, and which one to hassle.

Therefore - shove the wife aside (gleefully), and game on.

So...

Fella looks at me. Gulps. "Yes, sorry, your bag sir," and me casting him a look, follows with "Sorry miss" to my wife.

I open my bag, pull out the Iroda, and he tries to grab it out of my hand, but I simply open it to give him the soft-flame lighter / fuel cell within. He says "ALL lighters," to which I put the Iroda back together and clicked it and said, "This isn't one any more!"

And, because he got me rolling...

I started the debate, while I was gathering the rest of my stuff, putting on my belt, shoes, etc., and debating with him why they are doing the confiscation.

He said, "All lighters are disallowed on all international flights - it's obvious, don't you think? Who are YOU to argue with the RULES?"

Needless to say, he was also looking at my badge on the Xray again, and I said about how soft-flame lighters are in fact allowed on all incoming flights. Air Transat (who we flew with) allows them. That I DID follow all rules of the airline (their effing plane, not Cuban customs), and just because they make up a flavour-of-the-week rule, off the cuff, doesn't mean that everyone knows about it ahead of time, etc. And oh yeah - by the way, trained air marshal, and I know what's allowed and not.

Also - he was about 20-25 at best, a foot shorter than me, and looked like he didn't shave yet. So, gleefully, I pointed out the badge in my wallet, said I was MORE than understanding of the rules, and to "stop being a little prick to people because of some made-up bullshit."

Verbatim.

And my wife was PISSED. LOL.

Coulda went sideways for sure, but I thrive on that a bit. LOL.

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LOL. ANYWAYS...

Riaz, you're good with what you're planning.

Torches aren't allowed on any passenger-carrying pressurized aircraft. Neither are the accompanying butane cans, in any form of carrying - not in the cabin, not in checked baggage. Big no-no.

As Rob and others have said...

The Iroda torches are the best thing possible for this. Simple two-part item that breaks apart for travel. Fuel cell that's refillable with the quality fuel of your choice. A twin-pack of replacement fuel cells is only $3. All soft flame - so allowable on airliners (granted, within any restrictions or allotments of the respective airlines).

I always travel with the Iroda, the fuel cell / lighter in my pocket (that's what Canadian rules call for - soft flame lighter in pocket), and a spare in my carry on. Sometimes, also pack a spare in my checked baggage, or have spouse bring one as well.

As Rob said, $3 for two fuel cells, Iroda torch is under $20 - if all lost or taken, no biggie. Not a sentimental / special item. Easy and cheap to replace. And, as in the case of the avant garde Cuban confiscations in November, if you need to urgently replace it going INTO a country, the Iroda torch will work with standard see-through-plastic (squared-off) Bic lighters - just remove the flint wheel in the middle, and you're good to go.

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Guys - I work for an airline. If I were to quote the international rules on lighters I would be wasting my time because security in various countries do as they please.

Just go with the flow...

Yeah, agreed. But I just get pissy when someone effs around with a little bit of pomp and circumstand authority.

I do get that it's a communist country. And sometimes you can be dealing with a bureaucratic nightmare.

But it's the overall concept of it...

Flying INTO Cuba - item's allowed, allowed through Customs in EVERY other departing country, allowed by airlines, no issues, and allowed by Cuban customs coming INTO country (remember - they Xray you and check everything on your way IN also).

But then, flying OUT of Cuba - with no advance notice, this common and simple and previously allowed item is suddenly treated as the scourge, and Cuban Customs agents acting rudely and harshly, and just a blanket policy out of NOWHERE.

Granted - again, agreed - be prepared to lose the item, mild dollar loss out the window, what's the more important thing and all that jazz.

But think of the circumstance this way instead...

Everyone goes into Cuba, no problem, no changes.

But then suddenly, in going through everyone's carry-on items and checked luggage - OOOOOOOOPPPPPSSSSS, sorry, we forgot to tell you - no PANTS are allowed to leave the country, they're not allowed on the planes, our new rules, hand it over.

Name an otherwise simple item - sandals, leather belts, SUNGLASSES, CELLPHONES...

All of a sudden, Cuban customs says no, without a rational reason, with no chance to opt-out by leaving said item at home prior to the flight, or having other applicable vetting.

If it's more than just a dollar or two, I'm sure some eyebrows would be raised, and some middle management at Cuban customs would find themselves in for some hot water on WTF they were thinking in the first place.

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