Caribbean airspace is now fully open to flights again, Caribbean Daily has learned.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the temporary restrictions expired at 12am on Sunday.
“Flights can resume. Airlines have been notified and flight schedules will be updated quickly. If your flight is affected by restrictions, please continue to work with your airline,” Duffy said in an official statement.
It comes after the United States took military action against Venezuela on Saturday, with hundreds of flights to and from the Caribbean canceled due to temporary airspace closures in parts of the region.
what to do next
A search of a sample of flights to canceled airports revealed that many flights were already bookable and available for departure on Monday 5 January.
Of course, with the number of travelers looking to rebook in the coming days (especially those returning from the Caribbean), there may be disruptions over the next week or so.
Please be sure to contact your specific airline for the latest information.
Impact on passengers and airports — review
The Caribbean's aviation industry suffered major disruptions on Saturday. The following are the affected destinations:
Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Aruba, British Virgin Islands, Bonaire, Barbados, Curacao, Martinique, Grenada, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Trinidad and Tobago, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia and Saint Martin.
St. Maarten Princess Juliana International Airport in a statement It said it was “closely monitoring the evolving regional airspace situation.”
However, some airports no affected.
unaffected airports
This includes countries like Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Turks and Caicos Islands, Belize and Cancun.
For example, American Airlines is scheduled to fly Saturday from Miami to Nassau, Bahamas, and from Miami to Grand Cayman.
The hardest-hit airline is American Airlines, which had flights to 19 different cities canceled on Saturday, along with Southwest, Delta, Frontier, United and Spirit.
If you already have a reservation
Good news? If your flight is affected, airlines will often allow you to rebook for free or receive points toward future travel within a year.
Most airlines are applying this to travel between now and January 6; a sign of when travel at these airports may return to normal.
Non-US carrier
The move does not appear to affect all non-U.S. carriers. Air Canada, for example, isn't canceling Saturday flights, but it can change your fare for free if you don't want to go ahead with the booking. These include 17 different airports in the Caribbean.
