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.
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.
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.
Caribbean travel disrupted by U.S. operation
