Flights canceled across Caribbean after US raid in Venezuela

Jim Wyss, Bloomberg News on Jan 3, 2026

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U.S. military operations in Venezuela are upending travel in the Caribbean just as many vacationers are trying to get home from their winter breaks.

Vacation hot spots such as Barbados, Aruba, Puerto Rico, Antigua, Barbuda, and Trinidad and Tobago were all reporting flight cancellations or delays Saturday due to the military activity.

Puerto Rico’s tourism authority said the island’s airspace was closed by the Federal Aviation Administration around 2 a.m. Saturday and at least 307 flights have been canceled so far. “Total cancellations could increase,” the agency warned.

In Aruba — just a few miles off the coast of Venezuela — Amy McDonagh, 56, said she was supposed to be traveling home to New Jersey on Saturday but was informed this morning that all flights had been canceled. By the time she rushed downstairs to ask to extend her hotel room, there was a line of 15 people, primarily Americans, waiting to do the same.

While being stuck in Aruba may sound nice to some people, “when there is a war going on just a 30-minute flight away, it doesn’t feel great,” McDonagh said.

Christmas and New Year’s are peak times to visit the Caribbean, with U.S. and European visitors flocking to warm weather and pristine beaches for the holidays.

JetBlue Airways Corp. said it had canceled about 215 flights systemwide as a result of airspace closures across the Caribbean. The carrier noted in an emailed statement that flights to the Dominican Republic and Jamaica aren’t affected by the government’s restrictions.

Customers whose flights are canceled may rebook their travel or request a refund, JetBlue said. The carrier flies to the Caribbean from a variety of U.S. cities including New York, Boston, Orlando and Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

American Airlines Group Inc. had canceled more than 100 flights and delayed another 300 across its whole network as of 12:24 p.m. ET, according to FlightAware. Miami International Airport, home to many of American’s flights to the Caribbean, warned passengers about potential disruptions in a post on X.

American said that it’s “adjusting its flight schedule for the region” as a result of the FAA-mandated airspace closures.

“We recognize the disruption these restrictions have on our customers and are doing all we can to take care of them, including providing additional flexibility for customers whose travel is affected,” American said in a statement to Bloomberg News.

After months of military buildup in the southern Caribbean — purportedly to disrupt drug trafficking routes — the U.S. captured President Nicolas Maduro and his wife to stand trial in the U.S.

It’s not clear how long the flight restrictions will last, and the FAA didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

The disruption isn’t limited to just passenger planes. Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett, who represents the Virgin Islands, said in a statement that the U.S. Postal Service informed her that no inbound or outbound Priority and Priority Express packages will arrive or be delivered Saturday due to the airspace restriction.