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Americans stranded in Argentina in an attempt to get back home: ‘It was really emotionally difficult’
As of Thursday, the State Department said 13,000 Americans remain trapped abroad. “We are continuing our efforts to bring the Americans home, and we are continuing these efforts around the clock,” the ministry said.
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As of Thursday, the State Department has reported 13,000 Americans still stranded abroad after the epidemic closes most international travel. “We are continuing our efforts to bring the Americans home, and we are continuing these efforts around the clock,” said ministry officials.
“Fox News” spoke four Americans who are trying to get Argentina, including Sam Aitken and his wife, Marisa who left Texas for Buenos Aires on March 4.
“My wife and I stay on their honeymoon,” Aitken said. “We were in Buenos Aires for a few days before leaving on March 8 to go on a marine adventure to the Antarctic Peninsula.”
On Aitkens was notified a day after embarking on the flight that the Argentine government would soon be shutting down most of the international travel, a cruise ship turned around hoping to get it and more than 100 other passengers returning to the port while flying out of the country.
“I returned the day before and then when we arrived at the port of Ushuaia on March 16 we found that the Argentine government mandated a 14-day quarantine period for all returning ships,” Aitken said.
Unable to dock, the couple was keeping the vessel until March 22.
“On the 22nd, our company has arranged a charter for the return flight from Ushuaia to Buenos Aires where most of us have ongoing international travel reservations and therefore was unable to obtain that charter flight,” Aitken said.
Arriving in Buenos Aires on the 22nd, Aitkens got the word that the next morning’s flight to São Paulo which would later be linked to Houston, was canceled.
“We immediately tried to take it back on another trip by going to Santiago and then canceled and then we were on the phone with the United States and that is when we were told there were no options left to return to the United States,” Aitken said.
The Aitkens left in a hotel overlooking the port of Buenos Aires where they were quarantined to their rooms as the government issued a shelter in the place of all of Buenos Aires.
Sam Aitken and his wife, Marisa, are stranded at a hotel in Argentina waiting for their return trip to Houston, Texas.
“We are unable to go anywhere, use the hotel amenities or anything like that. The hotel is located and our room service provides food being delivered because we are not allowed to leave, ”Aitken said.
The couple is in contact with many other Americans who have been stranded in Buenos Aires, including Graham Hammond and Joseph La Ve.
Joe La Ve and Graham Hammond have been traveling abroad for six months. COVID-19 now stranded Montana residing abroad.
Teens have been traveling abroad when the SK epidemic has begun with trips abroad that are difficult to come by, and they have been in Aziza International since Sunday.
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“It was really difficult mentally and emotionally because every time I think we have a chance, either it gets snatched from under the United States or something changes,” Hammond said. “I booked a flight last week early, early Sunday, but six hours before flying it must be canceled.”
Hammond La Ve ’from Billings, Mont, and had three cancellation flights after booking.
“Our families are more optimistic than we are now, the Senate has been called in to the embassy trying to reschedule our trips, it was a sort of savior through all of this,” Hammond said. “She was helping us when now, just feel a little helpless and we are waiting for what comes next opportunity.”
Teenagers and Aitkens have at least four 29 Americans who were stranded in Buenos Aires.
Sam Aitken and wife Marisa were on a cruise ship for honeymoon when the epidemic closes most of the international travel.
“We have a group chat on WhatsApp called‘ Americano Argentina ”and there are 29 of us in it,” Hammond said. “Through the chat group, more information about flight times and how we can get all of here from there has been obtained so that it is also useful.”
The Americans were reaching the US embassy in Argentina to help something Aitken says it was not helpful at first.
“They are mainly for us that we should go out earlier when I told them we are under quarantine, they said good luck,” Aitken said. “From our point of view, it was a priority for us to know someone working on it was a priority for us to hear.”
On Aitkens said the lack of consistent information coming from the United States is frustrating.
“We had hoped that the United States government would have taken a more active role in helping Americans obtain a home that does not appear to be the case until Tuesday afternoon,” he said.
On Wednesday, the State Department said Fox News that it required any American stuck abroad to sign up for the Step Program so they knew where to send a charter plane. The United States embassy in Argentina echoed an appeal posted on Twitter by a charter flight from Buenos Aires to Miami for the Americans.
On Aitkens I booked five different trips before finding one that I hoped to get from home before the weekend. The couple were hoping to reach Brazil before flying to the United States.
“São Paulo is the only region where excursions seem to be constantly in,” Aitken said. “If we are not able to reach Houston, you will go anywhere in the United States and see what we can do.”
La Ve’and Hammond took the same aviation approach to Brazil and then to Toronto, Canada, where they hope to eventually link back home to Montana.
A Fox State Department official said, “Two days after collecting information from US citizens who wish to return to the United States, more than 400 people have responded to our mailbox.” The administration also confirmed that a charter plane is to be held on Friday and is expected to take Americans from Buenos Aires to Miami, Florida.
The US embassy did not announce Thursday the charter flight from Buenos Aires to Miami was sold out and the Americans now need to rely on “commercial aviation options available from airlines including Turkish Delta, Aerolineas Argentinas via Sao Paulo, Brazil.”
On Aitkens and Teens he added that they know some Americans chose not to take a charter flight because tickets are $ 1700 per person.
“It would cost us more than 5,000 dollars to get a charter plane and we just couldn’t afford it. We call you the senator or embassy, whatever you know can help, “La Ve” said. “Even if we get home commercial aviation, we still want to make sure other Americans here are taken care of.”
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