Thinking about cancelling flight next week?

[Guitargirl]

I have a flight booked from London to Dubai next week which I booked months ago. I am not a massive fan of flying at the best of times but the events of the last few weeks have torn any resilience I did have about the flight to shreds.

The main aspects of the flight I am nervous about are:

1. Security at Dubai airport, I am transiting there for an onward flight and am worried about a Sharm-type scenario.

1. I have been reading about the warnings issued to commercial airlines since the middle of October about their flight paths and the risk of Russian Syria-bound missiles. Some airlines have chosen to re-route their flights, the airline that I am flying with has not.

I live in London and I travel by tube daily. I am not normally a wuss about these things but I will admit that I am scared. My travel is not essential. I would lose the money I have spent on a plane ticket and hotel but it's only money. The other thing I was thinking about was I could go and see a GP, explain my anxiety and then maybe try to recoup some of the costs via insurance.

Or, I could get a grip and get on with it. I don't know what to do!

WIBU to cancel? What would you do?

I would also feel safer driving. It's because you feel more in control. No need to be funny with someone who made that choice!

Madness. I've been to the Gulf twice in the last fortnight.

Security is it its highest after an attack. You're more safe now than before the Paris attack.

When considering the safety of children it's a irresponsible choice. Understandable but irresponsible.

Emirates' security is up there with the best.

Israel and the Arab States do one thing which the rest of the world doesn't seem to do: profile their passengers. They will rarely bother a "Western" traveler, but will put 'their own' through the ringer.

Ie., Israeli security will look at a Muslim male passengers, paying cash, flying one-way with no luggage as Priority 1 and then they will have checked out that passenger even before they've arrived at the airport. They will even assess his biometrics (heart rate, temperature) as he walks through the airport and passes through the stages of checking-in to assess whether he's a threat.

Put it this way: You won't find yourself tasting your baby's milk at a security screening in Israel because they will have eliminated you as a threat.

I have been through security at Heathrow with my kids and have been selected for 'extra security screening' but I've seen passengers more fitting the profile of a 'threat' breezing through. We as Westerners are too PC. It has been proven countless times that passenger screening is the best means of preventing a terrorist attack on a plane. El Al (Israel's airline) has never had an incident despite being at the centre of one of the world's greatest conflicts.

Profiling is not racist. It's practical and necessary.

But how long would you change or cancel your plans for? These things can and do happen at any time. I'd feel safer flying right now because everywhere is on such high alert.