Caribbean fly-cruise passengers disrupted by US military action in Venezuela 

P&O Cruises spent much of the weekend reorganising travel for 5,000 fly-cruise passengers as surprise US military action in Venezuela triggered Caribbean flight disruption.

 

Three Tui Airways aircraft chartered by the cruise line to serve the  ship Arvia in Barbados made U-turns in the mid-Atlantic and returned to the UK on Saturday.

 

The Boeing 787 Dreamliners from Birmingham, Gatwick and Manchester turned back amid air safety warnings in the Caribbean region.

 

Other flights chartered by the line were cancelled before departure from UK airports. 

 

Aircraft were instructed to avoid parts of the Caribbean due to an emergency notice issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration in the wake of the American military extracting Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro from the capital of Caracas.

 

Virgin Voyages passengers disembarking in Puerto Rico were also affected by airspace closures in the Caribbean affecting US airlines flying in and out of San Juan.

 

Flights from the US and Canada were cancelled to and from several Caribbean destinations including Antigua, Aruba, Barbados, Curaçao, Dominica, Puerto Rico, St Thomas, St Croix, St Maarten and St Lucia. Airlines waived change fees for passengers who had to reschedule flights.

     

The flight limitations were subsequently lifted and services resumed by Sunday. 

 

Barbados prime minister Mia Mottley told a news conference that "the consequences of the conflict have been exceedingly disruptive to both of our ports of entry," - the airport and port in Bridgetown where cruise ships call.

 

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) said in a travel update for Barbados on Sunday night: “Regional airspace restrictions have been lifted, however some flights to and from Barbados are facing disruptions due to rescheduling. 

 

“If you are travelling, check with your airline, tour operator, or cruise company for the latest information and allow extra time for rebooking or delays.”

 

The FCDO advised against all travel to Venezuela and said: “On 3 January, Venezuelan authorities announced a ‘state of external commotion’ due to air strikes on targets across the country. This could lead to closure of Venezuelan borders and airspace.”   

 

A P&O Cruises spokesperson said: “Following the disruption and impact caused on Saturday by the international air restrictions, all P&O Cruises guests on Arvia Caribbean cruise holidays now have confirmed flight details to/from Barbados.  

 

“P&O Cruises has worked tirelessly over the weekend with our charter carriers to arrange new flights for a total of 5,000 inbound and outbound guests. 

 

“The onward ports of call and itinerary are being prioritised and communicated to all guests on board so they can now continue with their planned holiday.”

 

KLM, a major transatlantic carrier to the Caribbean, resumed flights to and from Amsterdam to Curacao, Aruba, Bonaire, St Maarten, Port of Spain, Georgetown and Bridgetown from Sunday as the airspace opened again. 

 

“For passengers whose flights were cancelled on January 3, we are making every effort to rebook them on the next available flight,” the airline said. 

 

“KLM is closely monitoring the situation in Venezuela, with the safety of our passengers and employees being our top priority. We advise travellers to continue to follow the latest flight information.