What began as a winter getaway turned into a stressful and expensive ordeal for thousands of travelers stuck in the Caribbean — including multiple families from the Northeast — after the Federal Aviation Administration shut down Caribbean airspace on Saturday following the U.S. military’s capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
For New Jersey teacher Justine Trela, the situation became clear almost immediately.
“Nobody on this island can help us get a flight out. We’re stranded here. Stranded,” Trela said.
Trela and her sister-in-law Kelly Corvelli were supposed to head home Saturday. Instead, they’re still in Aruba — with no clear timeline for when they can leave.
“We have heard nothing from JetBlue. NOTHING,” Trela said.
We have team coverage following the major development Saturday that the U.S. conducted a large-scale strike in Venezuela and captured its president and his wife.
Airlines add flights — but seats already taken
They’re just two of tens of thousands of people scrambling to find a plane home. Although airlines resumed operations when airspace reopened after midnight Sunday, the backlog was substantial.
Newton resident Elizabeth Drori, also stranded in Aruba, said passengers were largely left to figure things out themselves.
“We’ve had to do a lot of work on our own to rebook ourselves because there was nothing proactive from the airline… especially from Delta which is an airline I fly quite often.”
JetBlue and Delta added extra flights and increased capacity — but not nearly enough to solve everyone’s problem.
Corvelli put it simply: “They’re booked because it’s holiday travel… the flights are there — they’re all booked.”
Growing concerns over medication and costs
Beyond the travel headaches, some families are now worried about running out of essential prescription medications. Drori said it’s the most serious issue many travelers are facing.
“Clothing you can wash, sunscreen you can buy — but prescription medication… which you can run into problems if you stop taking abruptly… is a pretty big problem.”
The extended stay also means unexpected expenses.
“We have to kind of save our pennies because we’re going to be here until January 11? 18? We don’t know,” Trela said.
And even though flights are moving again, many stranded travelers say they still haven’t been able to secure seats.
“The worst part is people are coming and going like anybody’s business — and we’re still stuck in the lobby,” Trela said.
New England politicians are reacting to President Donald Trump’s announcement that the United States conducted a “large-scale strike” on Venezuela early Saturday, capturing its president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife following months of attacks on boats accused of carrying drugs.
Why recovery is so slow
Aviation expert Seth Miller says the decision to ground roughly 800 flight across multiple carriers, from San Juan to Aruba, left tens of thousands of passengers stuck in the wrong place during one of the busiest travel weekends of the year. Planes and crews were also out of position, creating a ripple effect similar to recovering from a major blizzard.
Airlines have tried to add extra flights and even larger aircraft to move people more quickly, but many regularly scheduled flights were already sold out because of the holiday week. And even the added flights hit limits: Miller says at one point on Sunday morning the FAA had to slow traffic into San Juan because too many extra planes were heading there at once.
He says it will take several days for operations to fully recover — and likely longer than usual because the shutdown hit such a concentrated region. Miller also notes that passengers will almost certainly be responsible for their own additional expenses.
“Even with travel insurance, which maybe you have through a credit card, maybe you have separately,” Miller said, “often times there is a carve out for acts of war, and if this gets seen that way, even insurance might not cover it.”
Airline statements
JetBlue said in a statement that it remains focused on helping affected travelers:
“We have resumed normal operations and our teams continue working to rebook impacted customers on available flights and, wherever possible, by adding extra flights. We have already added multiple additional flights, including from Aruba, and will continue evaluating where we are able to provide additional capacity.” – JetBlue Corporate Communications
Delta said customers were notified immediately after cancellations and that it’s still adding seats.
“Delta teams across our global network continue to focus on supporting customers following the federal government’s shutdown and reopening of Caribbean airspace. We’ve proactively added more than 2,600 seats through extra flights across our Caribbean network for Monday, Jan. 5. Our teams are working to ensure all affected customers are reaccommodated by Tuesday, Jan. 6.” – Delta Communications