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News
Caribbean flight woes: Airlines surge extra flights as passengers scramble to find seats
Featured image by MIGUEL J. RODRIGUEZ CARRILLO/GETTY IMAGES
Sean Cudahy is an aviation reporter covering news about airlines, frequent flyer programs and consumer travel issues.
January 4, 2026 • 7 min read
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Editorial note: This story has been updated with new information.
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Quick summary
Flights between the U.S. mainland and the Caribbean resumed Sunday after mass cancellations caused by U.S. military action in Venezuela.
Airlines added extra flights and larger planes to help stranded travelers return home, but many still faced delays and limited seat availability.
Travel waivers remained in effect, allowing passengers to reschedule or change itineraries, with some extending through Tuesday.
Travelers were advised to monitor airline apps for rebooking opportunities and consider alternative routes or booking new tickets if urgently needed.
What to consider
Travel waivers' expiration dates vary by airline, with some ending as early as Sunday and others extending to Tuesday.
Refunds are available for canceled flights, but airlines generally do not cover hotel or meal costs in these circumstances.
Travel insurance or credit card protections may help with unexpected expenses, but coverage depends on the specific policy and the nature of the disruption.
What you'll miss from the article
Detailed guidance on rebooking strategies, compensation rules and how to leverage travel insurance or credit card protections after flight disruptions.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Flights between the U.S. mainland and Caribbean resumed on Sunday — but not without plenty of frustration for travelers stranded over the weekend.
Early Sunday, airlines resumed normal operations to Puerto Rico and islands in the Eastern Caribbean, a day after canceling service to the region in the wake of the U.S. military action in Venezuela.
But travelers faced an uphill battle to catch a flight home on what was expected to be the final busy weekend of the holiday rush.
Airlines announced plans on Sunday to surge extra flights and larger planes to the region, hoping to get passengers home from holiday trips
But TPG heard from numerous vacationers who faced a potential dayslong wait for a return flight.
Air service returns to normal
The good news on Sunday: Flights mostly returned to normal, a day after mass cancellations to Carribean flights — which, most notably, affected service to and from San Juan's Luis Munoz Marin International Airport (SJU), the biggest Caribbean hub for flights to and from the U.S. mainland.
By 8:45 p.m. EST Sunday, just 24 departures had been canceled in San Juan, according to FlightAware data.
While far from perfect, that was a major improvement from the 200 flights carriers had to axe on Saturday.
Crowds pack the terminal Saturday at San Juan's Luis Munoz Marin International Airport (SJU). MIGUEL J. RODRIGUEZ CARRILLO/GETTY IMAGES
Travelers race to find empty seats
Travelers who had planned to fly home on Saturday, though, faced continued flight woes as the weekend continued.
With few empty seats on departing flights from Caribbean islands, getting a spot on a flight Sunday — or the coming days — proved a major hurdle for many flyers.
American Airlines on Sunday added extra round-trip flights to a handful of popular Caribbean islands, including: Antigua, Aruba, Barbados, Curacao, Dominica, San Juan, St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. Maarten and St. Lucia.
American also announced it would deploy its largest jet — the twin-aisle Boeing 777-300ER — on two round-trips Monday between its Miami International Airport (MIA) hub and San Juan in an effort to get more passengers to their destination after the weekend disruptions.
American Airlines Boeing 777-300ER economy cabin. KYLE OLSEN/THE POINTS GUY
American's 777-300s seat 304 passengers — far more than the single-aisle jets it flies on most of its San Juan routes.
And, late Sunday, the carrier said it would operate a pair of rare interisland flights in the Caribbean on Monday. The regional American Eagle service was planned between San Juan and the Caribbean destinations of Anguilla and Beef Island, which is located in the British Virgin Islands.
Delta Air Lines, for its part, said Sunday evening that it planned to add some 2,600 extra seats on flights across its Caribbean network for Monday.
The Atlanta-based carrier pledged to accommodate all stranded passengers by Tuesday.
However, Delta warned the increased airlift could lead to lead to flight delays (and perhaps security checkpoint delays, too) at some Caribbean airports.
The carrier urged passengers to arrive to airports at least three hours early on Monday.
ANDREW WEVERS/GETTY IMAGES
Caribbean travel waivers still in effect
Travel waivers remained in place at each of the largest U.S. carriers, which will continue to allow passengers flying on Sunday to reschedule their flight or make other itinerary changes — even if they’re booked on a restrictive basic economy ticket.
Some airlines’ travel waivers will remain in place through Tuesday.
What should you do if you have Caribbean flights booked?
Here's what to know if you're traveling this weekend.
Keep a close eye on your airline app
If your Saturday departure was canceled, keep a close eye on your airline's app for any new opportunities that might pop up: You may be able to rebook yourself on a new flight, but you’ll want to act fast — before those open seats get filled.
If your airline can’t accommodate you on a nonstop flight to your original city, ask about alternative options. For instance, the large network carriers (American, Delta and United) may be able to route you through a different connecting city if there are open seats on a different flight.
What to know about backup flights
If you’ve been stuck since Saturday and have an urgent need to get home Sunday — but aren’t having luck finding a seat on your original airline — you can certainly look into booking yourself a new ticket on a different airline.
You’d be paying out of pocket (or burning points) for that new booking but you would at least be entitled to a refund for your original flight, under federal regulations.
Unfortunately for customers, your airline likely won't pay for your hotel night, meals or other incurred costs if you do get stuck away from home, as this is a situation beyond the airline's control.
Carriers have laid out passenger protections for delays and cancellations at FlightRights.gov — but those promises usually only apply when the disruption is the airline's fault, such as a maintenance delay
Keep your receipts!
If you get stranded, keep your receipts, even though there is no guarantee the expenses will be reimbursable.
Travelers who purchased a travel insurance plan prior to Saturday’s military action by the U.S. may be able to submit a claim for any unexpected costs, depending on the details of the plan purchased.
The same may be true for passengers who booked their trip with a credit card that has travel insurance protections. Just note that exact coverage and policies can differ significantly from one plan and card to another, and of course, will depend on the interpretation of those policies by the provider.
For example, the benefits guide for some Chase cards excludes some built-in trip protection coverage for "War, undeclared war, civil war, insurrection, rebellion, revolution, warlike acts by a military force or personnel, any action taken in hindering or defending against any of these, the destruction or seizure of property for a military purpose, or any consequences of any of these acts ..."
Cruisegoers affected, too
The flight disruptions had also threatened voyages for travelers planning cruises in the region. Virgin Voyages on Saturday said customers unable to embark because of flight troubles would get full voyage credit for a future booking.
Some cruise lines delayed departing certain ports to assist travelers arriving on late flights.
Still, cruise passengers disembarking this weekend Caribbean ports where flights had canceled faced a scramble to find a hotel room or other accommodation to wait out this situation.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
