Caribbean flights resume after Venezuela attack, airlines add additional service

Airlines scrambled to add dozens of additional flights for tens of thousands of travelers stranded in the eastern Caribbean on Sunday after the Federal Aviation Administration’s flight restrictions in the region, although some customers found no seats available for days.

The FAA had closed the region’s airspace to American commercial flights after the American strikes in Venezuela. The restrictions expired overnight, allowing flights to resume.

Flight restrictions forced airlines to cancel hundreds of flights in the region on Saturday, stranding customers at the end of the busy holiday period.

FlightAware recorded around twenty cancellations in San Juan on Sunday, compared to 400 a day earlier. However, for some travelers, disruptions could last several days as seats were scarce and previously scheduled flights were crowded for the New Year weekend and school holidays.

Airlines received complaints from some users on X that they were unable to find available seats to the United States before the end of the week. Some said they had no place to stay or could not afford to spend extra nights in Caribbean hotels.

American airlines told CNBC it has added 17 additional flights between San Juan, Puerto Rico, as well as Aruba, the United States and the British Virgin Islands, Antigua, Barbados, Dominica and Barbados, and its hubs in Miami and Charlotte, North Carolina. Southwest Airlines added six additional round trips between San Juan on Sunday and eight more on Monday as well as two additional flights to Aruba on Sunday.

“We are looking for opportunities to add more capacity to both destinations in the coming days,” the airline said in a statement.

But as of Sunday morning, even the new flights were listed as unavailable on airline websites, with seats quickly selling out in the face of surging demand.

United Airlines And Delta Airlines plan to add additional flights on Sunday. Carriers were considering using larger planes, like those normally used for Europe or Asia, to meet the increase in demand.

The American said he would use two Boeing 777-300, the largest aircraft in its fleet and capable of accommodating 304 passengers, for two San Juan-Miami round trips on Monday.

Airlines typically add flights and send larger planes ahead of hurricane evacuations, but had little time to prepare after the U.S. attack in Venezuela.

Airlines waived change fees and fare differences for customers affected by the closures if they booked their flights later in the month. More than a dozen airports in the region were included in the waivers.

Major US airlines have not served Venezuela directly for years. American Airlines was the last major carrier to halt flights to the country in 2019 due to the unrest.

The temporary restrictions were set to expire at midnight ET, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in an article on X.

The US attack on Venezuela resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife. Maduro was indicted on narcoterrorist conspiracy and other charges in the Southern District of New York. His indictment was unsealed and posted online Saturday by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Flight restrictions after the U.S. attacks underscored how quickly military action can disrupt civilian air travel, forcing airlines to suspend operations well beyond the immediate conflict zone.

Airlines have been forced to take longer routes to avoid airspace or even periodically halt flights due to conflicts in the Middle East as well as after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

–CNBC Victor Loh contributed to this article.