Passengers Panic at Guadalajara Airport After Cartel Chief's Death; Flights Linked to Puerto Vallarta Affected
Hundreds of travelers were left stranded at Guadalajara International Airport after airlines canceled or diverted flights following the abatimiento of Nemesio Oseguera “El Mencho, ” and Volaris provided a WhatsApp contact for passengers traveling to puerto vallarta and Guadalajara.
Hundreds left waiting overnight at the terminal
Some passengers at the Aeropuerto Internacional de Guadalajara have waited more than 24 hours to continue their trips, and since last night the airport's corridors were described as packed with people unable to board, after carriers canceled or redirected flights in the immediate aftermath of the abatimiento of Nemesio Oseguera “El Mencho. ”
Travelers describe sleeping in the terminal
Miguel, who came from Mexico City, said he arrived at 8 p. m. for an 11 p. m. flight that was canceled, forcing him to spend the night at the terminal: “Nosotros llegamos a las ocho de la noche, tenía mi vuelo a las once de la noche y lo cancelaron, entonces tuvimos que dormir, fue una noche muy inestable. ” Antonio and Laura, who flew in from Oaxaca, said they arrived at 7 p. m., had their flight canceled twice and were moved to a later flight for "esta noche"; they were told a hotel was available but could not get a room because it was full, and Antonio said, “La experiencia fue muy mala, nos amargaron las vacaciones; ojalá que nos puedan devolver el dinero. ”
Panic, a false alarm and a 13: 00 flight canceled
Jorge and Citlali were booked on a flight scheduled at 13: 00 but were forced to stay after it was canceled. They said they arrived at 10 a. m. when the first large movement began, saw people run and ran with their luggage, and were sheltered in corridors until the Guardia Nacional issued an instruction that turned out to be a false alarm. Jorge called it "una experiencia terrorífica, " and Citlali added, “No había ni qué comer, todo estaba cerrado. ” The airline issued them a pass to leave today at 3 p. m., and they expect to reach their final destination after that departure.
Airlines' responses: Lufthansa and Volaris
Lufthansa said it will operate flights to Mexico in the midst of cartel violence. At the same time, Volaris informed passengers with flights from and to Guadalajara or puerto vallarta that they can send a message to WhatsApp 525558988599 for assistance.
Website notices and site boilerplate seen during the disruption
One webpage displayed the message: "Hemos detectado que JavaScript está deshabilitado en este navegador. Habilite JavaScript o cambie a un navegador compatible para continuar usando esta web. " Other on-site prompts visible to readers included invitations to "Mantente al día con las noticias, únete a nuestro canal de WhatsApp" and the statement "Registrarse implica aceptar los Términos y Condiciones. " The site also carried a cookie notice: "Este sitio web utiliza cookies propias y de terceros para optimizar su navegacion, adaptarse a sus preferencias y realizar labores analiticas. Al continuar navegando acepta nuestro Política de cookies. "
The immediate operational outcome: dozens of flights were canceled or diverted at Guadalajara, leaving hundreds of passengers waiting in the terminal and prompting airlines to rebook travelers; some passengers who received airline passes are scheduled to depart at 3 p. m. today.
