Name: U.S. attack on Venezuela prompts airspace closure
Uploaded: 2026-01-05T03:15:49.148Z
Duration: 2 min 17 s
Description: U.S. airlines are flying in and out of the Caribbean again Sunday after the surprise U.S. attack on Venezuela prompted the FAA to close the airspace over much of the Caribbean Saturday. Kris Van Cleave reports on how many stranded Americans are still waiting for flights home.

U.S. airlines are flying in and out of the Caribbean again Sunday after the surprise U.S. attack on Venezuela prompted the FAA to close the airspace over much of the Caribbean Saturday. Kris Van Cleave reports on how many stranded Americans are still waiting for flights home.

Washington

The U.S has launched strikes on sites inside Venezuela, including military facilities and arrested Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro along wife his wife.

Venezuela Strikes

A U.S. attack on Venezuela led the Federal Aviation Administration to close airspace over much of the Caribbean, resulting in the cancellation of over 1,100 flights and leaving many travelers stranded. Airlines responded by adding extra flights and using larger planes to expedite the return of affected passengers.

The closure impacted more than a dozen airports, including those in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Aruba. Travelers, including families and public figures, faced delays of several days, and most are expected to bear the costs of extended stays, as the disruption was due to government action rather than airline responsibility.

U.S. attack on Venezuela prompts airspace closure

Tonight, U.S. airlines are flying again in and out of the Caribbean, but the surprise U.S. attack on Venezuela prompted the FAA to close the airspace over much of the area on Saturday, and Chris Van Cleve reports many stranded Americans are still waiting for their flights home. With the airspace closed, we heard from many travelers who feared they wouldn't be able to get out of the Caribbean for up to a week. The airlines have ramped up service, added flights, using bigger airplanes to try to get as many people home as fast as possible. The Crane family was wrapping up their holiday vacation with a flight home to New York Saturday, but that flight was among the more than 1,100 canceled after the FAA closed the airspace over much of the Caribbean. The daylong closure impacted more than a dozen airports, including those in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Aruba. I'm a teacher. I'm supposed to go back to work tomorrow. This family of five is still in Puerto Rico and won't all be home until late Wednesday night. We've continued to search frantically to try to get something. We found a flight for our eldest daughter who's 18. We found a flight for her Tuesday so she can go home a day earlier. How frustrating is this? Oh, it's quite very frustrating. This was the scene at the San Juan airport Saturday. About 400 flights in and out of that airport alone were canceled. American Airlines says it added 5,000 additional seats across nearly two dozen extra flights Sunday. Southwest added more than a dozen flights through Monday. Newlywed Christine Moore got stuck at the Philadelphia airport after her flight to Barbados was grounded Saturday. This weekend of all weekends for my honeymoon to be canceled. Actor Leonardo DiCaprio was supposed to be accepting an award at the Palm Springs Film Festival this weekend, but he reportedly couldn't get out of St. Bart's. I'm sorry I couldn't be there tonight. I'm stuck on the East Coast. I wish I was there to celebrate with all of you. For the Crane family, it'll mean several days of missed work and school. If I could get a U-Haul and pretend to be a goat and get on a cargo plane, I would do it. Whatever expenses they accrue during these unplanned extended stays are likely coming out of the traveler's pocket because the closure was the action of the government, not the airlines. It's not the airlines' responsibility to compensate flyers. So often it isn't. Chris Van Cleave, thank you very much.

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U.S. attack on Venezuela prompts airspace closure

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Venezuela Strikes