Since the US initiated military action against Venezuela on January 3, major American airlines have canceled hundreds of flights. Although flight restrictions have now been lifted, many travelers, especially those from the US, are still unable to return and are stranded in the Caribbean.
On January 3, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a notification prohibiting US airline flights from operating in certain airspace over the Caribbean. Following this, several US airlines canceled flights to the region. JetBlue canceled approximately 215 flights, while Southwest Airlines canceled flights to the Dutch overseas territory of Aruba and the US territory of Puerto Rico on January 3. Several European and South American airlines also canceled their flights to the Caribbean that day.
Although the flight restrictions were lifted at midnight on January 4 Eastern Time, aviation industry analysts indicated that airlines would require at least a few days to return to normal operations. On June 4, a large number of tourists in Puerto Rico's airport were still unable to board their flights home.
Traveler Haisel Rojas remarked, "When I arrived on Jan. 3, nearly all flights were canceled, with only one flight from Puerto Rico to Santo Domingo available, and it was oversold, with all passengers in line being those with reservations. There are no tickets for the entire week."
As this is the end of the holiday period, many travelers, especially Americans, had planned to return to the US on Jan. 3 or 4. Now, they are left with no choice but to stay in the Caribbean. US tourist Craig, a teacher, told reporters that he was supposed to return to school on Jan. 5, stating, "This is so frustrating."
American tourist Liz Silves reflected to reporters, "I booked a hotel, and in the 15 minutes I've been waiting in line, the nightly rate has gone up by $40."
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