Travelers stranded after flight cancelations amid violence in Mexico: "It was just scary"
Violence in Mexico after the killing of Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, "El Mencho," has left many Americans scrambling, some trying to get home and others needing to figure out where to stay.
American Airlines canceled operations in Puerto Vallarta on Sunday and Monday and reduced operations significantly in Guadalajara, about 4 hours east of Puerto Vallarta.
This has left some customers stranded in Mexico and others trying to figure out where they'll be sleeping.
"They had to run to their condominium," traveler Eraka Huerta said of her friends in Puerto Vallarta. "They're renting, it was like five blocks away. It was just scary."
Huerta is worried about her friends stuck in Puerto Vallarta. They were locked down in a restaurant on Sunday as violence broke out in the city.
"[They spent] five to six hours in the restaurant because it was not safe going out," Huerta said.
Huerta said her friends were supposed to return to the U.S. on Monday.
"They're really concerned, and their flight was today, and their flight got canceled," she said.
Other travelers at DFW were left trying to rearrange travel plans when airlines started canceling flights.
"My friend had called me while we were on the plane and said they had just killed one of the heads of the cartels down there," said traveler John Lestrange. "He said, 'I'm not sure whether or not it's ok for you to come, you might want to think about booking a hotel in Dallas."
That was Sunday night. Lestrange says he's changed his plans to visit a friend in Guadalajara entirely.
"I haven't seen my friend in probably two years, so we've been trying to get down there to see him, and it means a lot, but on his recommendation and his own gut feeling, I decided not to go," Lestrange said.
More than 75% of Delta, American and Southwest flights to Puerto Vallarta have been canceled.
Southwest Airlines said it does not have any crews stranded in the area, as flight crews do not overnight in Puerto Vallarta, even in normal conditions.
