Passengers stranded in the Dominican Republic express their discomfort after the suspension of flights in the U.S.

Travelers stranded at Las Américas International Airport, Dr. José Francisco Peña Gómez, in the Dominican Republic, expressed discomfort and concern after flights to and from the United States were suspended, disrupting their travel plans and preventing them from returning to their destinations as scheduled.

Those affected expressed uncertainty about when they will be able to board their flights and continue with their itineraries.

The suspension of operations has inconvenienced some passengers who planned to travel to the United States from the Las Américas terminal.

Others expressed hope that air operations could be restored so they could continue to their destinations. 

“My flight to Boston, which was supposed to leave at 5:30 in the afternoon, was rescheduled for six, then eight, then nine, and finally four in the morning. It’s clear there will be a domino effect. But what do the airlines and the airport offer all these foreigners?” said Lisa Corporán, a young Dominican woman, to the newspaper Hoy.

Earlier, US Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the order to suspend takeoffs at airports nationwide was not in response to any terrorist attack but to “a disruption in telecommunications.”

“There is no reason for the public to feel fear or worry about their loved ones; this is not another 9/11 (referring to the attacks against the United States in 2001),” Wayne explained to media gathered at the White House.

“People are making that assumption because it was the last time we had a nationwide flight shutdown. This is a telecommunications disruption; it’s something very different,” he stated.