North Texans still stranded in Mexico despite flights resuming after cartel violence

PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico - Airlines resumed flights out of Puerto Vallarta on Tuesday following an outbreak of cartel violence, but some North Texans won't be able to leave the region until later in the week.

Airlines resume flights to and from Puerto Vallarta

What we know:

American Airlines and Southwest Airlines announced the resumption of flights out of Puerto Vallarta Airport on Tuesday. Both airlines added extra flights to and from Puerto Vallarta to help get Americans trapped in the region back home.

A travel alert was issued by American Airlines to allow passengers affected by cancellations to rebook without a change fee.

Both airports in the Jalisco region where the violence erupted said they resumed normal operations on Tuesday.

Airports in Guadalajra and Puerto Vallarta were crowded with passengers attempting to get home after getting stranded after the violence in the region broke out Sunday morning following the killing of a cartel leader.

The U.S. Department of State said Tuesday that public transportation and businesses continue to return to normal operations and U.S. citizens are no longer urged to shelter in place. The department also said U.S. government staff near Puerto Vallarta are still subject to a curfew during nighttime hours.

North Texans stranded

What they're saying:

Despite the added flights, one group of travelers from North Texas says the soonest American Airlines could book them a flight out of Puerto Vallarta was Sunday, March 1.

Judy Witzig and her friends from the Dallas Bicycle Club were supposed to fly home Monday morning. They were on a boat on a whale-watching tour when the violence broke out.

"We witnessed a war zone, basically, from our whale-watching tour," Witzig told FOX 4's Alex Boyer.

"We've walked down to the guard at the gate at the entrance a couple of times, and they told us it wasn't safe to leave, so they've advised that we stay put," Shannon Bertrand, another stranded traveler, said.

Witzig and her friends are staying with a neighbor for the time being, who is sharing food with them.

"Our host has been really gracious. She told us we can stay here as long as we need to," Bertrand told Boyer. "Stores were either closed or, if they were open, they didn't have food on the shelves."

With the group being unable to fly out of Puerto Vallarta until Sunday, they found a roundabout way to get home. They're paying to fly on a Mexican carrier to Mexico City on Thursday, then fly from there to Phoenix on American Airlines, and finally, from Phoenix back home to North Texas.

Dig deeper:

Witzig and the Dallas Bicycle Club aren't the only North Texans who have been affected by travel cancellations due to the violence.

TJ Perry of Dallas was in Puerto Vallarta for a birthday party with friends. Perry was scheduled to fly home on Sunday, when his phone started to get active.

 "We started receiving notifications of delayed flights all of a sudden, and basically everything was being put on a code red. I think that's the easiest way to kind of understand it, like a complete lockdown," Perry said.

"You could see smoke, kind of coming from the north area, all up in the sky. There's been cars basically lit on fire in regards to the retaliation that the cartel is doing," he explained.

Killing of "El Mencho"

The backstory:

On Sunday morning, Mexican army units attempted to capture Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, better known as El Mencho, alive in the western state of Jalisco.

He was shot during the raid, and died on the way to a hospital.

U.S. leaders had offered a $15 million reward for El Mencho's arrest. The White House says they provided intelligence support as part of Mexico's operation.

Three additional cartel members were killed, three were wounded, and two were arrested, according to White House officials.

NewsTravelWorldDallas