WASHINGTON, D.C. — Over the weekend, the U.S. launched strikes in Venezuela — capturing President Nicolás Maduro and bringing him to New York to face trial.
The dramatic U.S. military operation is rippling into American vacations and impacting their ability to get back home. The targeted strikes on Venezuela and the capture of Maduro were part of an extensive, covert operation that ultimately closed much of the Caribbean airspace on Saturday — leaving thousands stuck in paradise.
“As soon as we found out, there was close to a 580-minute wait, I believe, to get a hold of an airline representative,” said Lauren Del Bono, a New Jersey mother stuck in Aruba with her family, including seven-year-old daughter Luna and 10-year-old son Lucas.
About 15 miles from the coast of Venezuela, Del Bono and her family were packed and ready to head home on Saturday, after ringing in the New Year from paradise.
“Our initial vacation in paradise has quickly turned into the complete opposite,” said Del Bono. “It’s a total life-altering week.”
The New Year nightmare only got worse when she discovered the soonest her family could leave Aruba was an entire week after the original departure date.
“The only available flights have close to 15- to 24- to 36-hour layovers in another country or in another location,” Del Bono said. “If that means flying to Canada, that’s what everyone’s doing. We’re in touch with the Netherlands — airlines flying anywhere to get out of the Caribbean to get back to the United States.”
Soaring flight prices are only adding to the frustration. Del Bono says a departing flight that typically costs $600 to $700 “is now costing close to $2,200 a person,” she said. “So, we’re looking at over $10,000 safely to get out. Unfortunately, it seems like the airlines are really taking advantage of it.”
Additionally, Del Bono and her family have been asked to leave their current hotel — days before the earliest flight home.
“Airlines are not helping, hotels are not helping. We’ve been compensated for nothing,” she said. “So, we are still here. But they are asking us to leave Wednesday” — which is when she and her family will have to relocate to a separate hotel for a few days, another added cost she fears will not be compensated.
“It is at a pretty penny,” she added.
Del Bono says the consequences of an unintended extra week in paradise are piling up — medication shortages, extended pet sitting back home, missing school and work, just to name a few.
“We just want to get home,” Del Bono said. “We’ve tried everything possible.”
That includes a special request from seven-year-old Luna, who is turning to a familiar superstar for help.
“Taylor Swift. Because she’s a celebrity and I was thinking maybe she can help to get us home,” Luna said.
The Caribbean airspace reopened at midnight Sunday — but for thousands of people still trying to leave, the nightmare continues.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Transportation sent the following:
“The U.S. Department of Transportation is focused on delivering the best flying experience for Americans and driving down costs. Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg created an illegitimate and burdensome bureaucracy of the skies to score political points – jacking up ticket prices and ignoring the fundamental problems with air travel in the meantime. This approach wasn’t just an abuse of congressional authority – it was also backwards. By focusing on fines that only go to the U.S. Treasury, Biden and Buttigieg enriched government coffers, not civilian travelers.
Under Secretary Duffy’s leadership, we’re fixing the office to increase transparency, incentivize higher rates of compliance, and encourage airlines to make investments that actually make travel better. Protecting the American people remains our top priority, and we won’t hesitate to impose sanctions for widespread, egregious, or intentional violations as appropriate.“
