American Airlines Vice President of International Operations Jose A. Freig speaks to reporters ahead of the arrival of an American Airlines flight from Miami, Florida, at Simon Bolivar International Airport in La Guaira, La Guaira state, Venezuela on April 30, 2026. The first direct flight between the United States and Venezuela in seven years took off on April 30, a new sign of a thaw after Washington deposed leftist leader Nicolas Maduro. (Photo by Federico PARRA / AFP via Getty Images)