SEE UPDATES BELOW: Ed Snowden apparently a no-show after checking in for expected Moscow-Havana flight. Many disappointed journalists now en route to Cuba on no-alcohol flight. Ecuadorian foreign minister speaks at press conference in Vietnam, denies knowledge of Snowden's whereabouts. Julian Assange says Snowden is "safe and sound," in an undisclosed location.
All indications are now that NSA whistleblower Ed Snowden, currently in Moscow, is bound for Quito, Ecuador via Havana, Cuba. There are not many flight options between Moscow and Quito, so this is a likely itinerary I found based on earliest available flights:
AEROFLOT 150 Moscow-Havana:
Leave 2:05 p.m. Monday Moscow time, Arrive 6:45 p.m the same day Havana time.
TAME (Linea Aerea del Ecuador) 503 Havana-Quito:
Leave 2:00 a.m. Tuesday Havana time, Arrive 4:30 a.m. the same day Quito time (Note: Cubana Airlines does not appear to fly to Quito).
Converted to US Eastern Daylight Time, Snowden would leave Moscow at 6:05 am. Monday, arrive in Havana at 6:45 p.m. Monday, Leave Havana at 2:00 a.m. Tuesday, and arrive in Quito at 5:30 a.m. Tuesday.
This gives Snowden about seven hours to kill in Havana. Mojitos in the airport lounge, perhaps?
UPDATE: Reports confirm that Snowden is booked on Aeroflot 150 leaving Moscow at 2:05 p.m. Monday local time (6:05 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time) for Havana, seat 17A (nice: a window seat). No word yet on his onward flight from Havana.
UPDATE #2: The plot thickens! After checking in for Aeroflot 150 from Moscow to Havana, Ed Snowden apparently failed to show up for the flight. Now a plane-load of journalists is bound for Havana, but no Ed. To make matters worse for disappointed journalists, according to The Guardian, no alcoholic beverages are served on Aeroflot's Moscow-Havana flights (See also New York Times, Washington Post, Russia Today).
UPDATE #3: Ecuadorian foreign minister Ricardo Patino Aroca, in Vietnam, speaks in support of Ed Snowden's bid for political asylum but denies knowledge of his whereabouts: "I cannot give you information about [Snowden's whereabouts]. We are in contact with the Russian government, but this specific information about this precise situation of Edward Snowden, we cannot give it to you right now, because we don't have it" (Guardian).
UPDATE #4: The Telegraph says "an Interfax source 'familiar with the situation' said Mr Snowden 'is most likely outside the borders of the Russian Federation,' suggesting that he could have given journalists the slip and taken a flight elsewhere."
UPDATE #5: Julian Assange says that Snowden is "safe and sound," in an undisclosed location (Reuters, Russia Today, The Guardian):
Assange (via The Guardian):
The current status of Mr Snowden and Ms [Sarah] Harrrison [of Wikileaks, who travelled with him from Hong Kong]: both are healthy and safe and they are in contact with their legal team. I can’t give further information as to their whereabouts or present circumstances other than to say that the matter is in hand....
We are aware of where Edward Snowden is. He is in a safe place and his spirits are high. Due to the bellicose threats coming from the US administration we cannot go into further detail at this time.
Unfortunately we cannot reveal what country he is in at this time.