<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/usa" rel="" target="" title="US"><span>US</span></a><span> military operation that captured </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/venezuela" rel="" target="" title="Venezuelan "><span>Venezuelan </span></a><span>President Nicolás Maduro and flew him out of the country on Saturday also disrupted Caribbean travel at a busy </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/travel" rel="" target="" title="travel "><span>travel </span></a><span>time for the region.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>No airline </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/airport" rel="" target="" title="flights "><span>flights </span></a><span>were crossing over Venezuela that day, according to FlightRadar24.com. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>And major airlines cancelled hundreds of flights across the eastern Caribbean region and warned passengers that disruptions could continue for days after the Federal Aviation Administration imposed restrictions.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/venezuela-international-leaders-react-to-donald-trump-capturing-president-nicolas-maduro-and-wife-cilia-flores/ca6ec3ae-3315-45a8-b736-228e674ec155"><strong><span>World leaders react with condemnation and caution after US attack on Venezuela</span></strong></a><span></span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/flights" rel="" target="" title="Flights "><span>Flights </span></a><span>were cancelled to and from Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Aruba and more than a dozen other destinations in the Lesser Antilles island group north of Venezuela. Airlines waived change fees for passengers who had to reschedule flights.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Saturday night that the restrictions would end at midnight EST and airlines would be able to resume normal operations on Sunday.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>At the Queen Beatrix airport in Aruba, a popular holiday destination for US vacationers just 124 kilometers off Venezuela’s coast, officials said they expected a return to normal on Sunday after a day of cancelled flights that stranded travelers or blocked them from flying to the island.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/us-venezuela-military-operation-in--disrupts-caribbean-holiday-travel-flights-canceled/b2d9b425-c075-44f7-97ec-45ad7edd8fc9" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In Barbados, Prime Minister Mia Mottley said at a news conference that “the consequences of the conflict have been exceedingly disruptive to both of our ports of entry,” an airport as well as a seaport from which cruise ships sail.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/why-is-the-us-attacking-venezuela-timeline-of-events-leading-to-capture-of-president-maduro-and-wife/4e2d8f2d-a677-4ea7-b0a6-6a13d819d672"><strong><span>Why is the US attacking Venezuela?</span></strong></a><span></span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In Puerto Rico, Lou Levine, his wife and their three children were due to return to the Washington, DC area on Saturday morning, but he woke up to his wife saying their flight was cancelled. He found out why when he checked his phone.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>They first tried calling JetBlue to reschedule. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The airline called back about two hours later, but the agent was not able to help them. Levine and his wife saw others messaging JetBlue on social media and did the same. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The airline responded and booked them on a flight on Saturday, turning their weeklong New Year’s holiday into a two-week sojourn.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/venezuela-usa-military-operation-australia-travel-warning-colombia/02524677-3eff-4bfa-a9de-ab400a1ed150"><strong><span>Australia issues South American travel warnings after USA strikes Venezuela</span></strong></a><span></span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Levine, a manager at a software company, said he is fortunate to have a flexible and understanding employer. But his daughter will be missing a week of high school. And then there are the unexpected expenses.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>“I love it here. But we have dog-sitting and cat-sitting and car rental. It’s fine. It’s just really painful on the wallet,” Levine said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Levines hoped to book an earlier trip back if possible.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/donald-trump-says-united-states-will-take-control-of-venezuela-oil-reserves-what-this-means/4eb08a5f-01c8-461b-9b57-5f72945fe56f"><strong><span>Trump declares US will take control of Venezuela's massive oil reserves</span></strong></a><span></span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>This weekend was already past the peak 13-day holiday period when AAA projected that 122.4 million Americans would travel at least 80 kilometers from home, but there were plenty of travelers still trying to squeeze in some more time on tropical beaches before heading back to colder temperatures.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>“The Caribbean is a top destination this time of the year,” AAA spokesperson Aixa Diaz said. “We do have a lot of people who are trying to get back home this weekend ahead of work and school on Monday.”</span></div></div><div class="styles__Wrapper-sc-2o34ro-0 cmwkBV"><div class="styles__Column-sc-2o34ro-3 jJDKrX"><a href="/content/2025/01/03/16/47/today-in-history-january-4-what-happened-on-this-day-in-pictures"><img alt="John Wesley Hardin (May 26, 1853 – August 19, 1895) was an American Old West outlaw, gunfighter, and controversial folk icon. Hardin often got into trouble with the law from an early age. He killed his first man at the age of 15, claiming he did so in self-defense." sizes="(min-width: 1024px) 636px, (min-width: 768px) 396px, 100vw" src="https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/1jOo83qS15LMjFfIBOB87ugUzp4=/0x1:299x169/396x223/https%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2Ffs%2Fe92a178f-00b7-4604-b583-4520307e8b84" srcset="https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/1jOo83qS15LMjFfIBOB87ugUzp4=/0x1:299x169/396x223/https%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2Ffs%2Fe92a178f-00b7-4604-b583-4520307e8b84 396w, https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/vJtp3b3s2DhDUJvvz1tEdbTffZs=/0x1:299x169/636x358/https%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2Ffs%2Fe92a178f-00b7-4604-b583-4520307e8b84 636w"/></a></div><div class="styles__Column-sc-2o34ro-3 jJDKrX"><div class="styles__Headline-sc-2o34ro-4 hpbOlz">Sixteen-year-old kills man in the street over a card game</div><div class="styles__Button-sc-2o34ro-1 eBjlmW"><a class="styles__ButtonLink-sc-2o34ro-2 hqpklJ" href="/content/2025/01/03/16/47/today-in-history-january-4-what-happened-on-this-day-in-pictures">View Gallery</a></div></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Diaz said “it’s understandable we want to unplug,” but travellers should keep track of what's going on and allow airlines to send them phone alerts.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/venezuela-trump-attacked-country-and-captured-its-president-nicolas-maduro-is-it-legal-explained/a5f17f57-876a-40d7-a277-666a4f0f4fc2"><strong><span>Trump attacked Venezuela and arrested its president. Is that legal?</span></strong></a><span></span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>An announcement by Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, that was posted on the social platform X said restrictions were put in place because of the “security situation related to military activity” in Venezuela.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>As a result most commercial flights to and from the airport that are operated by US airlines were suspended or canceled.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Foreign airlines and military aircraft were not included in that restriction, the statement said. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Air Canada said its flights to the Caribbean were operating normally, though it gave travellers an option to rebook. Another Canadian airline, WestJet, said it canceled Aruba flights “out of an abundance of caution.”</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/venezuela-explosions-reported-in-capital-caracas/79b4f99d-181e-4fc5-8ddb-f5a48d197d22"><strong><span>Trump says US 'is going to run' Venezuela after capture of Maduro</span></strong></a><span></span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>All major US airlines cancelled flights across the Eastern Caribbean because of the restrictions and adjusted their schedules.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Nearly two dozen island destinations were affected by the cancellations, including Anguilla, Antigua, Curacao, St. Lucia and the US and British Virgin Islands. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But destinations farther to the west like the Dominican Republic and Jamaica were generally not affected.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>New York-based JetBlue said it canceled about 215 flights “due to airspace closures across the Caribbean related to military activity.”</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/venezuela-executive-vice-president-demands-nicolas-maduro-release-refuses-to-become-us-colony/19bee6d6-a90e-480f-93d7-530ad1173b42"><strong><span>Venezuela's VP condemns 'kidnapping' and says country will never be a US colony</span></strong></a><span></span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Dutch airline KLM said it too cancelled flights affecting thousands of passengers but planned to resume service Sunday to and from Curacao, Aruba, Bonaire and other islands.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The flight disruptions also affected some travelers booked for Caribbean cruises. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Cruise operator Virgin Voyages said airline travelers unable to make it to San Juan in time for an upcoming cruise departure would be able to get a full credit for a future trip.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/venezuela-who-is-president-nicolas-maduro-wife-cilia-flores-explainer/510bb4fb-26db-491c-b8c6-bc3d454ab4a7"><strong><span>Who is Cilia Flores, Maduro's wife and 'first combatant'?</span></strong></a><span></span></div></div>