After Eastern Caribbean airspace closure, the trade assists stranded vacationers: Travel Weekly

With the FAA closing airspace within the Eastern Caribbean on Jan. 3 due to the U.S. army operation in Venezuela, journey advisors scrambled to accommodate purchasers with canceled flights throughout a busy interval of Caribbean journey.

Airspace reopened on Jan. 4, however many vacationers have been unable to return to the U.S. straight away as a consequence of flight availability. 

Julie Lanham, president of Vacations To Remember in Evans, Ga., woke as much as the information of the army operation. “My immediate thought was to check on clients that I had traveling in that region, since I knew this would somehow affect travel,” Lanham mentioned.

She was proper: purchasers in Puerto Rico and plenty of different islands have been dealing with canceled flights. Hundreds of flights have been canceled within the area on Jan. 4, with Puerto Rico, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, Aruba, Curaçao, Barbados, St. Lucia and St. Maarten closely impacted.

Lanham was removed from alone. As the morning went on, publish after publish appeared in journey advisor teams on Facebook speaking about flight cancellations within the Eastern Caribbean. 

The airspace closure posed a major problem for airways already dealing with high-volume visitors on the finish of the vacation season. Compounding the issue of the scenario: most of the airways’ U.S.-Caribbean routes solely function on the weekends, so vacationers who could not fly house on Jan. 3 needed to spend a couple of extra days at their vacation spot or e-book a regional flight to San Juan, the Caribbean’s major hub, then a flight to the U.S. mainland.  

Lanham mentioned she rebooked purchasers leaving Puerto Rico for Atlanta and New York’s JFK Airport later this week.

“They are taking it well,” Lanham mentioned, including that one shopper desperate to return house joked, “We can only drink so many pina coladas.” Kids are lacking faculty and oldsters are lacking work.

Lanham mentioned a shopper in Puerto Rico declined journey insurance coverage and did not carry passports, limiting their choices to get house.

“They learned a valuable lesson on both fronts,” she mentioned.

Extra flights to the Eastern Caribbean

U.S. airways have been flying additional plane to and from the Eastern Caribbean on Monday, working to serve prospects left within the lurch by the airspace closure. 

American Airlines added 43 flights to the area, together with 9 roundtrips. Of notice, American and wholly owned regional provider Envoy Air created two particular interisland flights connecting Anguilla and Beef Island within the British Virgin Islands with San Juan. The interisland flights gave extra prospects entry to American’s additional flights scheduled between San Juan and Miami. American is utilizing the airline’s largest plane, the Boeing 777-300, on the additional San Juan-Miami flights.

Delta additionally elevated its Caribbean flying with 2,600 extra seats added on Monday. The airline mentioned it’s working to make sure all affected prospects are re-accommodated by Tuesday, Jan. 6.  

Delta warned prospects about potential delays for Caribbean flights on Monday on account of upping its capability within the area. It really useful that flyers arrive on the airport not less than three hours earlier than flight time. 

United, in the meantime, was working three additional one-way flights on Monday, connecting Newark to San Juan and Aruba. Those additions comply with the 14 one-way flight legs that United added on Jan. 4, connecting San Juan, St. Kitts, Bonaire, St. Thomas and St. Lucia to its mainland hubs. 

Southwest Airlines added eight roundtrip flights to Puerto Rico on Monday to assist get vacationers house.

JetBlue, a big Caribbean operator, was much less particular, however mentioned it’ll proceed evaluating the place it is ready to present extra capability with extra flights and bigger plane. 

Guidance from ALG Vacations

Vacation packager ALG Vacations issued guidance over the weekend for journey advisors with purchasers within the Eastern Caribbean or heading there. It really useful that prospects work straight with inns if they’re unable to return house. Hotels might provide “distressed rates,” ALG Vacations mentioned.

The firm additionally mentioned it was requesting a waiver of lodge penalties for purchasers who canceled their keep or have been late to reach. 

Indeed, Sandals Resorts International mentioned it provided decreased charges when prolonged stays have been wanted till flights resumed. Sandals additionally mentioned its crew labored intently with company on flight adjustments and waived penalties for missed nights or delayed departures. Sandals resorts within the affected Eastern Caribbean area are in St. Vincent, St. Lucia, Grenada, Barbados, Antigua and Grenada.

If a flight is canceled and a shopper is unable to achieve their vacation spot, ALG Vacations really useful a cancellation of the reserving in VAX VacationEntry and that the traveler submit a post-travel type for airline refunds.

Staff writers Brinley Hineman and Christina Jelski contributed to this report.