Thousands of travelers left stranded in the Caribbean due to US raid on Venezuela

Thousands saw their travel plans in the Caribbean upended over the weekend after the US launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and captured former dictator Nicolas Maduro.

US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy closed off the airspace in the region on Saturday night, with service still slow to return Sunday. Many flights were in limbo in the aftermath of the American military operation.

Derek Faktor, a dentist with offices in New York and New Jersey, told The Post his family was “essentially trapped” on Saint Kitts and Nevis, east of Puerto Rico, until Jan. 15 due to the situation.

“Our infant daughter is a bit ill and we are managing the best we can, but United Airlines has no outbound flights till Jan. 15th,” Faktor said.

“They have not sent any additional rescue flights for so many stranded people here, it’s not making any sense.”

Following Duffy’s orders, hundreds of flights were canceled 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.

Puerto Rico was among the hardest hit, with nearly 60% of all flights — more than 300 — to and from the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan canceled on Saturday.

Airlines are now scrambling to help their trapped passengers, with American, United and Delta Air Lines all scheduling additional flights on Sunday across the Caribbean.

Carriers have even weighed using larger planes, like ones used for Europe and Asia trips, to accommodate the weekend surge in demand as even new flights listed on Sunday morning sold out in a flash, CNBC reported.

The airlines have also waived change fees and fare differences for travelers affected by the closures.

Despite the accommodations, many of the stranded passengers fear they may be stuck in the Caribbean for days longer than they ever planned.

Lou Levine, a manager at a software company, said he was currently stuck in Puerto Rico with his wife and three kids after their return flight to Washington, DC, was canceled.

After speaking with a JetBlue agent and receiving no help, Levine jumped on social media like other customers and was able to get a return flight booked for next Saturday.

“I love it here,” Levine told the Associated Press of Puerto Rico. But we have dog-sitting and cat-sitting and car rental. It’s fine. It’s just really painful on the wallet.”

Other travelers have not been so lucky as they continue to search for answers on when they can return home.

“I don’t know what I’m doing right now,” Catalina Rodriguez, a veterinary student trapped in St. Kitts and Nevis, said in a video posted to TikTok.

Rodriguez, 34, said she was supposed to start her third semester of school at Florida’s Ross University School of Medicine on Monday, but now she and other classmates find themselves with little alternatives in a foreign country.

“We’re just waiting to see what’s going to happen,” she told Business Insider. “It’s a little stressful for sure.”

In Barbados, Prime Minister Mia Mottley said at a news conference that “the consequences of the conflict have been exceedingly disruptive to both of our ports of entry.” 

With Post Wires