Civil unrest in Mexico following the death of a cartel leader led to flight cancellations on Sunday, Feb. 22, and Monday, Feb. 23, including flights to and from Mexico out of major California airports such as LAX and SFO.

Violence erupted in western Mexico on Feb. 22 after a military operation that killed cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera, known as "El Mencho."

The U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Mexico issued a security alert for the Mexican states of Jalisco, Tamaulipas, Michoacan, Guerrero and Nuevo Leon that urged U.S. citizens to shelter in place because of "ongoing security operations and related road blockages and criminal activity."

Separately, a Northeast blizzard has canceled flights from Sky Harbor to Northeast cities like New York City, Boston, Newark and Philadelphia.

Los Angeles International Airport, or LAX, had 128 flights out of and into the airport canceled as of 10 a.m. on Feb. 23, according to FlightAware.

LAX's site showed that several flights departing had been canceled, with the majority being East Coast destinations including New York, Newark and Boston. Flights to Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara were also canceled for Feb. 23.

Flight Aware also showed that 86 flights into or out of San Francisco International Airport, or SFO, had been canceled on Monday, including all incoming flights from Boston Logan International, John F. Kennedy International and Newark Liberty International.

A statement from the Mexican government said the Special Forces of the Mexican Army were conducting an arrest of Oseguera, head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. The Mexican Army was attacked during their operation, leading to a shootout.

Seven cartel members died in the operation, including Oseguera. Four died on the scene; three, including Oseguera, died while being transported to Mexico City.

A wave of violence spread in response to Oseguera's death, including the burning of buses and blockages of roads.

The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs posted on X that U.S. citizens in locations affected by the violence should shelter in place, adding that most domestic and international flights were canceled in Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara. Rideshares were suspended in Puerto Vallarta as well.

On Monday, 33 of Puerto Vallarta's 82 flights worldwide were canceled, representing about 40% of its operations, said Sam Rabindran, spokesperson for the aviation analytics company Cirium.

About 16% of Guadalajara's Monday flights were canceled, 26 out of 162 flights worldwide, Rabindran added.

LAX and SFO staff encourage passengers whose flights are disrupted to check their flight status with their airline before coming to the airport and following their airline for updates.

American Airlines and Southwest Airlines have flexible travel options for passengers affected by the Mexico unrest.

American is waiving fare differences and change fees for Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara passengers scheduled to fly between Feb. 22-24 and can travel between now and March 3, as long as they maintain the same city pairs and cabin of service and book by Feb. 24.

Southwest passengers traveling out of Puerto Vallarta can rebook without paying a fare difference if they travel within 14 days of their original date of travel.

Michael Salerno is an award-winning journalist who’s covered travel and tourism since 2014. His work as The Arizona Republic’s consumer travel reporter aims to help readers navigate the stresses of traveling and get the best value for their money on their vacations. He can be reached at Michael.Salerno@usatodayco.com.

Ernesto Centeno Araujo covers breaking news for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at ecentenoaraujo@vcstar.com, 805-437-0224 or @ecentenoaraujo on Instagram and X.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Flight cancelation in California Mexico unrest East Coast storm