Tourists Left Stranded Across Caribbean After Venezuela Attacks
Following the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by US forces, tourists have found themselves stranded across the Caribbean. Even though the Federal Aviation Administration has reopened Eastern Caribbean airspace, many are struggling for answers regarding coming home or to their next destination.
Airlines have been scrambling since Sunday in order to add flights and get people back home from the Caribbean.
Nydia Han, an anchor and reporter for ABC News Philadelphia station WPVI, stated that her and her family were supposed to fly from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Philadelphia on Sunday night. Now, however, she’s been told by multiple airlines that she won’t be able to get a flight home until Friday.
“Unfortunately, because of Maduro’s capture and airspace being closed, we are stuck here in Vieques,” Han said in a video with ABC News.
The FAA issued a notice to airmen (NOTAM) to airlines early on Saturday that they would be banning flights from entering the Eastern Caribbean airspace “due to safety-of-flight risk associated with ongoing military activity.”
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that “the Caribbean airspace ban would expire at midnight Eastern time on Sunday.”
Major US air carriers such as JetBlue, American, Delta, and Southwest all canceled hundreds of flights during the airspace ban and some are struggling to add additional flights to the Caribbean region to accommodate impacted travelers.
On Monday, Delta stated that they added 2,600 seats through extra flights and that they’re working to re-accommodate all customers by Tuesday.
Delta also said that delays could occur in the Caribbean on Monday due to the increased airline capacity and has recommended that customers with confirmed/rebooked tickets on Monday arrive at least three hours early to allow for crowded airports. Customers who don’t have rebooked tickets should not go to the airport until they’ve officially rebooked in order to avoid overcrowding, the airline said.
American Airlines added 7,000 more seats and 43 extra flights, and for the first time in over a decade, the airline will be operating interisland flights in the Eastern Caribbean with two flights connecting Anguilla Wallblake, Anguilla and Beef Island, BVI to San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Flights throughout the Caribbean including popular destinations such as Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, St. Martin and St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands were also canceled. Some airports are now getting back to normal as of Monday.
Eric Mastrota is a Contributing Editor at The National Digest based in New York. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz, he reports on world news, culture, and lifestyle. You can reach him at eric.mastrota@thenationaldigest.com.
