SEA flights to Puerto Vallarta resume after cartel violence halted travel

Flights between Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) and Puerto Vallarta are scheduled to resume Tuesday morning.

According to FlightAware, the first flight to Puerto Vallarta from Seattle is set to take off at 8:13 a.m. Tuesday via Alaska Airlines. Other flights have been cleared for Tuesday afternoon and evening.

The flight cancellations came after Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” was killed during a shoot-out in his home state of Jalisco as the Mexican military attempted to capture him. Cervantes was the boss of one of the fastest-growing criminal networks in Mexico, notorious for trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine to the U.S. and staging brazen attacks against government officials who challenged it.

Cartel members responded with violence across the country, blocking roads and setting fire to vehicles, leaving American tourists sheltering in place and others stuck in limbo. The U.S. halted flights to and from several Mexican cities, including Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta.

US tourists temporarily trapped before flights resumed

“Seattle’s Morning News” co-anchor, Charlie Harger, was in the Mexican resort town just days ago on a cruise vacation. The same areas where they walked and shopped are now the scene of car fires, explosions, and deadly attacks.

“I had conversations with cab drivers. Both of them brought up the cartels and how cartels don’t like tourists to be hassled or hurt, and this really kind of rips that away,” Harger explained. “It really makes you think if they can’t keep you safe now, how do things change in the future? It’s just incredibly sad.”

Another tourist, Christina Sabourin, from Lacey, remained sheltered in place at her resort as of Monday afternoon. Her views of blue skies and a vibrant downtown have now been replaced by plumes of black smoke and the occasional sound of gunfire.

“We were actually down there just two days ago, in the area where they’re at right now, where they’re doing all the bombing and or, you know, blowing up the cars and stuff. There are kids down there. There are families down there,” Sabourin told KIRO 7. “There were some people who were supposed to leave today, and they’re still here. We’re safe, we’re OK, we’re not worried right now, of course, I love everybody. I’ve got a lot of people messaging me, asking me if we’re all safe, and right now, yes, we are.”

Puerto Vallarta is a popular vacation destination this time of year for families from the Pacific Northwest. It is unclear how many Americans remain stranded in the region or whether evacuation efforts will be organized. There is no immediate word on when the airport will reopen or when travelers, including those from Washington, will be able to return home.

Contributing: Luke Duecy, KIRO Newsradio, The Associated Press

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