Violence erupting across Mexico is disrupting air travel for passengers across the United States, with multiple airlines canceling or suspending flights to Puerto Vallarta and the surrounding region.
Air Canada and United Airlines have both temporarily canceled all flights to Puerto Vallarta. Delta Airlines said its flights to the region may also be impacted through at least Thursday.
At San Jose International Airport, a flight to Guadalajara was canceled, as was a Volaris flight scheduled to arrive from Puerto Vallarta Sunday afternoon. At San Francisco International Airport, nine flights scheduled to arrive from Puerto Vallarta on Sunday were canceled, according to the airport's website.
Puerto Vallarta has seen dozens of separate fires burning throughout the city, with reports of gas stations and cars set ablaze near a local Costco.
Megan Phelps, an American from Los Angeles who lives half the year in Puerto Vallarta, described watching the chaos unfold from her high-rise condo, saying she counted 23 active fires at one point.
"It's really scary. It's really scary," Phelps said.
"They were setting uh, fire to some of the gas stations. They set fire to multiple cars in front of the Costco. Pretty much the city is on lockdown," Phelps said.
The violence is also affecting travelers trying to reach Guadalajara. Norma Hernandez, who drove from Tracy to San Jose International Airport to cancel her flight to Guadalajara in person after being unable to reach anyone by phone or online, described what her family members told her on the ground there.
"I'm canceling the trip because I have family members that live in Guadalajara and when I spoke to them today they said that everything is shut down. The neighborhood where we were going to be staying with my parents, there was chaos, a building that was on fire, shots," Hernandez said.
The U.S. State Department is now advising Americans in Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara to shelter in place due to cartel violence.
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