Canadians looking to travel to the Caribbean and South America soon might want to keep an eye on the recent events in Venezuela.
As a result of a U.S. military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Saturday morning, hundreds of flights being carried by major American airlines have been cancelled in recent days, disrupting a major travel period at the end of the holiday break.
American flights 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.
While U.S flights are in limbo, how does this affect Canadians? Here’s what you need to know if you’re flying to the Caribbean soon and are worried about the ongoing conflict and tensions in and surrounding Venezuela.
Have Canadian flights been cancelled?
While U.S. flights are heavily affected, Canadians don’t have as much to worry about.
Air Canada said its flights to the Caribbean, including destinations such as Cuba and Dominican Republic, were operating normally, though it gave travellers an option to rebook. The airline says that its planes are avoiding Venezuelan airspace.
Air Transat and Porter reported no major disruptions, and WestJet said it cancelled Aruba flights “out of an abundance of caution” over the weekend but has since resumed flights.
However, Canadians may be affected if they’re passing through the U.S. and are subject to U.S. carriers and their advisories.
What are Canadian cancellation policies?
“Because of the situation in Venezuela and surrounding regions, we understand that you may want to make alternate travel arrangements. If you currently have a reservation, Air Canada has implemented a policy that makes it possible for you to make voluntary changes,” wrote Air Canada in a travel advisory.
This applies to those who purchased an Air Canada ticket no later than Jan. 2 for travel between Jan. 3 and Jan. 6.
The impacted countries include:
- Antigua, Antigua and Barbuda (ANU)
- Aruba, Aruba (AUA)
- Bridgetown, Barbados (BGI)
- Curaçao, Curaçao (CUR)
- Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago (POS)
- San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU)
- St. Lucia, Saint Lucia (UVF)
- St. Maarten, Sint Maarten (SXM)
- St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands (STT)
- Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe (PTP)
- Fort-de-France, Martinique (FDF)
- Grenada, Grenada (GND)
- St. Vincent, St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVD)
- St. Kitts, St. Kitts and Nevis (SKB)
- Bogotá, Colombia (BOG)
- Cartagena, Colombia (CTG)
- Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (PUJ)
Air Canada says if you’re scheduled to travel during this period, you can retrieve your booking and change your flight, free of charge, to another date between Jan. 3 and Jan. 13 subject to availability in the cabin you originally purchased. Outside of those dates, any fare difference will apply.
If you purchased your ticket with Air Canada Vacations, please reach out to them directly.
Meanwhile, WestJet, Air Transat, and Porter are monitoring the situation but have not issued broad regional waivers like Air Canada.
With files from The Associated Press
