DENVER — Passengers aboard a flight from Puerto Vallarta landed safely at Denver International Airport Monday night after the Mexican military killed the leader of the country's most powerful drug cartel, triggering widespread violence that left American tourists stranded.
Criminal groups retaliated by setting cars and buildings on fire and blocking roads, preventing people — including American tourists — from leaving or entering various cities.
Two Southwest flights and one United flight into DIA were canceled on Monday afternoon. United Flight 296 was the only inbound flight from Puerto Vallarta to land.
Derrick Thomas was among the passengers on United Flight 296.
"It was a lot. It was scary," Thomas said.
Road blockades and charred vehicles across the popular Mexican destination made reaching the airport difficult for many tourists.
"That little window of time, it was like, semi safe to get from where we were at to the airport, but there are still, like, burned out buildings and, like, burned out cars all over the street," Thomas said.
Many airlines had suspended flights to the area due to the ongoing cartel violence.
Thomas said his friends were still stranded in Puerto Vallarta.
"I'm gonna try and help from this side and see if I can find any flights for them to get on," Thomas said. "When I had left, they said they had heard some explosions.”
Steve Byrne and Susan Tolibas, who described themselves as frequent visitors to Puerto Vallarta, also made it home on the flight.
"We've always felt safe [in Puerto Vallarta]," Byrne said.
They described seeing military helicopters flying low over the city.
"They were circling around each area. It just kept going. And they were low. Felt like you could just touch them," Tolibas said.
Getting to the airport required improvising.
"Cabs were shut down. We just happened to have a good Uber driver that we knew," Byrne said.
Despite the chaos, Byrne said he remained composed.
"Cautious, yes, worried, no," he said.
Coloradans returning from other parts of Mexico also felt the uncertainty. Alex Braden was vacationing at a resort in Cancun when reports of the unrest began trickling in.
"We started seeing the photos, we turned on the news into our resort hotel, and it became kind of frightening at that point in time,” Braden said. “We got the embassy alerts saying to, you know, shelter in place. That's when it became kind of real."
Flights to cities like Cancun have not been affected by the unrest.
Even so, he told Denver7 it was a relief to be back in the Mile High City.
“I think you’re sort of feeling safe whenever you get pretty far over the Gulf,” Braden said.
The U.S. Embassy advised travelers via X on Monday that it may be possible to book a connecting flight through another Mexican city if their flight to the United States is canceled.
U.S. Department of State's travel advisories map for Mexico (updated Feb. 23, 2026)
Level 4 – Do not travel (red)
- State of Colima
- State of Guerrero
- State of Michoacan
- State of Sinaloa
- State of Tamaulipas
- State of Zacatecas
Level 3 – Reconsider travel (orange)
- State of Baja California
- State of Chiapas
- State of Chihuahua
- State of Guanajuato
- State of Jalisco
- State of Morelos
- State of Sonora
Level 2 – Exercise increased caution (yellow)
- State of Aguascalientes
- State of Baja California Sur
- State of Coahuila
- State of Durango
- State of Hidalgo
- Mexico City
- State of Mexico
- State of Nayarit
- State of Nuevo Leon
- State of Oaxaca
- State of Puebla
- State of Queretaro
- State of Quintana Roo
- State of San Luis Potosi
- State of Tabasco
- State of Tlaxcala
- State of Veracruz
Level 1 – Exercise normal precautions (blue)
- State of Campeche
- State of Yucatan
The below map illustrates those travel advisories.
See the full and current list of travel advisories for the United States here.
