Venezuelans Blocked from Buying Flights Out of Country

International airlines won't take their increasingly worthless currency

Venezuelans are finding out that their money is no good with one airline and others may also cut off the country from flights abroad.

Air Europa, a Spanish discount airline, has suspended sales of tickets in bolivars, the Venezuelan currency, because Venezuela has not been exchanging the bolivars for U.S. dollars as is customary.

The suspension, which Europa said Friday is "indefinite," caught some Venezuelans by surprise.

Javier Martinez tried to book a flight this week to Madrid on Air Europa in Caracas, but even though there were plenty of seats available Air Europa refused to accept his Venezuelan bolivars.

Comments

[Aresen]

Fairly, here the story is not that the government of Venezuela prohibited people from buying airline tickets. The story is that the airlines have discovered that they can't get paid (at least not in useful currency) if they sell tickets.

It is no different than United or Delta or Southwest refusing to take monopoly money for their seats.

[neoteny]

Newspapers reported that Venezuela had offered to settle its debt with international carriers by giving them free jet fuel in lieu of dollars.

They keep using that word; I do not think it means what they think it means.