Hoover Family Stranded in Aruba After Venezuela Strike
Travel chaos after airspace shutdown strands U.S. tourists in Caribbean, leaves them awaiting flights
A Hoover family visiting Aruba has found their vacation extended as flight cancellations tied to U.S. military action in Venezuela have left them and thousands of other American travelers stuck in the region.
Oscar and Julie Kent were preparing to fly home Saturday afternoon when they were surprised by an email that their flight was canceled. The couple now faces an uncertain wait in the Caribbean amid travel disruption that hit the region after the Federal Aviation Administration temporarily closed airspace around Venezuela and much of the eastern Caribbean WSFA/WBRC reported.
The flight pauses stem from U.S. strikes in Venezuela that prompted aviation authorities to ground U.S. carriers amidst safety concerns. The Kent family is among many whose scheduled departures were scrubbed or rerouted.
“It’s unfortunate for the ones that might not have a hotel,” Oscar Kent said. “I don’t know what they’re doing about that because I think they’re all kind of full right now.”
Kent, who works in the aviation industry, said he’s heard from other Americans in the Caribbean trying to find a way home.
“There’s no, appears to be no U.S. airplanes in the air, even anywhere around anywhere in the Caribbean,” he said.
Despite the disruption, the Kents said residents they’ve met are calm and welcoming. Oscar noted that some locals have family ties or strong feelings about the situation in neighboring Venezuela.
“I think a lot of people here recognize how bad the regime was there… I know several people that we’ve talked to that have really close ties to people in Venezuela,” he said.
Julie Kent described some early panic among travelers as news of the cancellations spread.
“I think it was more the American tourists that had a little bit of a run on the grocery stores earlier today,” she said, saying many rushed to stock up on supplies.
Airspace has since reopened, and airlines are working to restore service. But the earliest the Kents expect to return to Hoover is later in the week — Friday, Jan. 9 or Saturday, Jan. 10 — because automatic rebooking was not possible.
