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The Trump administration’s Venezuela operation has led to severe travel delays for thousands of tourists after the abrupt closure of Caribbean airspace during one of the busiest travel periods of the year.
Hundreds of flights across the Caribbean were cancelled on Saturday after American forces bombed Caracas and captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Celia Flores, resulting in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) imposing a temporary ban on commercial flights over the weekend.
The restrictions, which banned Caribbean flights from crossing Venezuelan airspace, led to widespread cancellations at other travel hubs in the region, including Puerto Rico, Aruba, and the Virgin Islands.
Not a single flight crossed over Venezuela on Saturday, according to flight-tracking website FlightRadar24, and although limited service has since resumed, airlines have warned the disruption could continue for several more days.
“I found out about the whole situation from other people,” passenger Julie Hurtwitz told CNN after her Delta flight to the U.S. from the Virgin Islands was abruptly cancelled at 3 a.m., leaving her party of 12 stranded without accommodation.
“My niece’s fifth birthday is on Tuesday, so we’re hoping that it doesn’t delay her party,” she added.
“Everything’s shut down,” said John Maher from Grosse Pointe, Michigan, who was stranded with his wife Kelly in Anguilla. They learned of their flight’s cancellation while about to board a ferry to the airport, left to piece together news from “whispering amongst the people” about the military action.
Actor Leonardo DiCaprio was also affected by the restrictions, reportedly finding himself stranded at St. Barts on Saturday and forced to miss the Palm Springs International Film Festival over the weekend, Variety reports.
JetBlue announced it had canceled 215 flights due to “airspace closures across the Caribbean related to military activity,” while Southwest halted all flights from Aruba and most to Puerto Rico while the restrictions were in place.
American, United, and Delta have all issued broad travel waivers, allowing passengers to rebook or refund their flights as they scramble to arrange dozens of extra flights to address the backlog of passengers.
“It’s all hands on deck,” American Airlines said in a statement after announcing it was adding 43 extra flights with nearly 7,000 seats to the region, deploying its largest Boeing 777-300 jets to help ease the disruption.
The post Travelers Stranded in Caribbean as Trump Attack Plunges Flights Into Chaos appeared first on The Daily Beast.
