Location: Guatemala
Event: A large percentage of confirmed passengers scheduled for the two March 28 State Department charters did not show up for their flights and did not contact the U.S. Embassy to cancel their request for travel assistance. This resulted in the second charter flight having to depart with space still available. This impacts our ability to meet the full demand of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents who wish to return home.
To address this issue, the U.S. Embassy requests the following:
**If you receive (or received) a confirmation from the U.S. Embassy for a State Department-coordinated flight on Monday, March 30th or Tuesday, March 31st, PLEASE SEND A MESSAGE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE to AmcitsGuatemala@state.gov to confirm that you will be present to board your flight that day.
**If your plans change or you do not intend to travel on the flight for which you have received confirmation, please notify the Embassy immediately at AmcitsGuatemala@state.gov so that your seat confirmation may be provided to another traveler.**
The U.S. Embassy also requests that all travelers who have received official flight confirmations for State Department-coordinated flights from Guatemala City arrive at the airport at least three (3) hours prior to their scheduled departure. If you have not already done so, we recommend you travel to Guatemala City immediately, since all flights will depart from La Aurora airport in the capital, and curfew restrictions currently in effect prohibit travel between the hours of 4 p.m. and 4 a.m. daily.
The U.S. Embassy has individually notified all confirmed travelers for the State Department charter flights departing from Guatemala City to Dallas-Ft. Worth (DFW) airport on Monday, March 30th. These flights are now fully booked.
There are two additional State Department charter flights scheduled for Tuesday, March 31st. The U.S. Embassy will notify confirmed passengers by Monday, March 30th if they are confirmed for the Tuesday, March 31st flights. We also urge U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents wishing to travel to the United States to continue to check the availability of commercial flight options. We do not expect additional State Department charter flights to be made available.
**Please note: Some travelers for our March 30th flights received confirmations that specified the correct date (March 30) in the subject line but specified an incorrect date in the body of the email (March 28). The U.S. Embassy has sent confirmations to these travelers with corrected information. If you have received a confirmation for a State Department charter flight, please examine your confirmation carefully to make sure the dates in the subject line – and in the body of the email – are the same. In cases where there is a discrepancy, the subject line date (March 30) is the correct date.
**PLEASE NOTE** On Thursday, March 26th, the U.S. Embassy announced a revision to the process to submit requests from U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents wishing to pursue U.S. government-coordinated flight options. We did this to streamline the process for manifesting passenger lists and to resolve some technical challenges that were slowing down our ability to inform passengers.
Please submit your information via this link: https://bit.ly/2UzOwFH
Actions to take:
Read our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on the COVID-19 crisis in Guatemala, and actions the U.S. Embassy is taking to assist U.S. citizens.
Visit our Embassy website, Twitter and Facebook accounts for definitive updates on flights and for information on conditions in Guatemala.
Review the State Department’s Global Level 4 Health Travel Advisory at www.travel.state.gov.
Consult the CDC website for the most up-to-date information.
For the most recent information on what you can do to reduce your risk of contracting COVID-19 please see the CDC’s latest recommendations.
Visit the COVID-19 crisis page on travel.state.gov for the latest information.
Check with your airlines, cruise lines, or travel operators regarding any updated information about your travel plans and/or restrictions.
Visit the Department of Homeland Security’s website on the latest travel restrictions to the U.S.
Monitor local news for updates.
Assistance:
U.S. Embassy Guatemala City https://gt.usembassy.gov/
Tel. (502) 2326-4000
Amcitsguatemala@state.gov
State Department – Consular Affairs
888-407-4747 or 202-501-4444
Guatemala Country Information and Travel Advisory Page
Enroll in Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive security updates