# Hijacking planes to Cuba?  Why?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hijacking-planes-to-cuba-why/204300>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 28, 2003, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hijacking-planes-to-cuba-why/204300 "2003-09-28T15:18:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![patchbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/dc4da7/32.png) [@patchbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/patchbunny)\
**Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hijacking-planes-to-cuba-why/204300/1 "2003-09-28T15:18:19Z")

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Didn’t find this in a thread search, so I’ll try here.

What’s the deal with someone hijacking a plane and demading it be taken to Cuba? I believe this dates back to the 60’s, as Monty Python made a joke about it (“Take this bus to Cuba!”). What was in Cuba? Given the number of Cuban refugees in the US, it seems that folks are more interested in hijacking a plane _out_ of Cuba rather than in. Was it just a common joke at the time, or was this really happening?

–Patch

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**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\
**Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hijacking-planes-to-cuba-why/204300/2 "2003-09-28T15:24:16Z")

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I’d have to WAG a non-extradition policy to the US.

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**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\
**Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hijacking-planes-to-cuba-why/204300/3 "2003-09-28T15:25:48Z")

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It was really happening. I guess the first such hijackers figured that with relations between Cuba and the U.S. being nonexistent, at the least they wouldn’t be extradited. IIRC, the first few might’ve also been leftist “revolutionaries” who expected the Cuban Communists would welcome them with open arms. No research went into this post, YMMV, etc.

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**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\
**Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hijacking-planes-to-cuba-why/204300/4 "2003-09-28T15:54:05Z")

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I don’t know much about Cuba, but there was a group of leftist Japan Red Army members who hijacked a plane in 1970 and successfully flew it into North Korea. Apparently they _were_ welcomed by North Korean communists.