New York–Guayaquil Flights Cancelled for a Third Straight Day — What to Do If You're Stuck

Three Days and Counting

If you've been refreshing your flight tracker hoping for good news, stop. It's not coming yet.

JetBlue, LATAM, and Avianca have all cancelled flights between New York and Guayaquil for three consecutive days — and there's no confirmed resumption date.

A severe storm battering the US East Coast has grounded flights across the region, and Ecuador's main international gateway is caught in the crossfire.

What's Cancelled

On Tuesday alone, five flights were scrubbed:

• Four incoming flights (New York → Guayaquil) that were scheduled to arrive between 5:00 AM and 10:45 AM
• One outbound JetBlue departure from Guayaquil at 7:20 AM

This follows similar cancellations on Sunday and Monday. Dozens of Ecuadorian passengers have been forced to reschedule.

Why This Matters for Cuenca Expats

Even though these are Guayaquil flights, most US-bound travel from Cuenca routes through Guayaquil's José Joaquín de Olmedo Airport. If you:

• Have a connecting flight through New York this week — it's likely affected
• Are expecting visitors flying in from the East Coast — they may be delayed
• Are flying out of Ecuador to the US — check your airline's status page before heading to the airport

What to Do If You're Affected

If you're in Ecuador trying to fly out:

• Check your airline's app or website for rebooking options
• Consider alternative routing through Miami, Houston, or Fort Lauderdale if available
• Don't go to the airport without confirming your flight status first

If you're stuck in New York:

• Most airlines are offering free rebooking for weather-related cancellations
• JetBlue, LATAM, and Avianca all have storm waiver policies — call or use the app
• Hotels near JFK may be filling up — book backup accommodation now

If you're waiting for someone to arrive:

• Track their flight in real-time on FlightAware or Google Flights
• Don't drive to the Guayaquil airport until the flight shows as "en route"

When Will Flights Resume?

No airline has given a specific date. East Coast storms typically clear within 2-3 days, but the backlog of cancelled flights means it could take an additional day or two before schedules normalize.

Our best guess: expect disruptions through at least Wednesday or Thursday this week.

The Bigger Picture

This is a reminder of how vulnerable the Ecuador–US travel corridor is to single-point disruptions. Guayaquil handles the vast majority of international flights, and when a major hub like New York goes down, the ripple effects reach all the way here.

The upcoming Cuenca-to-Galápagos LATAM service (starting March 31) won't help with US flights, but the broader push to expand Cuenca's airport connections could eventually provide more routing options.

For now: check your flights, have a backup plan, and be patient.

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Source: El Universo