Anyone else in Dubai on holiday? AIBU to be panicking with all the flights cancelled?

[tiantian1005]

Not sure when we can go home..anyone has managed to for example drive to nearby countries and fly from there?

It’s very different to what those there are posting, here is an ai summary, but you can google but no one is returning and saying they felt safe and protected. Not one.

Based on reports from early March 2026, interviews with people returning from Dubai, particularly those fleeing in the context of heightened regional tensions (US/Israel vs. Iran), reveal a mix of fear, relief, and frustration.

Here are the key themes from recent interviews:

• Emotional Departure and "Sadness": Many, particularly long-term residents, felt a sense of deep sadness leaving behind a place that was home for decades. One resident described the, "depressing and sad" feeling of leaving, while another described feeling "grateful to leave, I'm sad to leave".
• Fear and Danger: Travelers described a tense atmosphere with reports of hearing explosions and seeing drone interceptions. "We had the alert going off on our phones during the night. You read the text and you're like, 'oh my god, this is real'," said one traveler. Another noted, "three of the loudest bangs I've ever heard directly above us and it truly shook the ground and the windows".
• Frustration with Communication: Many passengers expressed frustration with the lack of information and difficulty finding flights, with some spending days waiting, particularly in the airport when explosions happened.
• "Massive Relief" Upon Return: Those returning home, particularly on repatriation flights, expressed immense relief. "It was very frightening, you just didn't know... I think everyone on the flight coming in tonight is absolutely delighted," one passenger said.

Yes it seems the same message. If you look at rhe influencer videos it’s nearly all rhe same, thank you for protecting us, we feel so safe. Returners say the opposite

dubai needs to ensure it remains a desirable location, that it doesn’t commercially crash, and I suspect thays what’s behind this,

I am struggling to remember but I think it is if you post anything negative they cut your WiFi off.

I have family there, they are not influencers, they are not posting on SM, they don’t feel scared, they are not worried, they feel safe. They were on the golf course this morning, it was really busy, restaurants there were full, kids running around. They got the alert to shelter, a few minutes later the all clear alert. Flights were halted for less than an hour.

It does seem to be business as usual except for the flight disruptions.

Well, it’s a good job people who are on the ground there are far better informed regarding their well being than posters like yourself who would rather make a fool of themselves than accept the truth.

Oh come on. We know it’s a co-ordinated message that they’ve been told to say. We’re not fucking stupid.

Your posting is quite odd. I’m assuming you’ve a back story here, no idea what it is but as @ThiagoJones said, people aren’t stupid.

Absolutely!

Such a difference to those interviewed by the news here, or disembarking flights. Passengers off one of the Emirates flights stood in the airport and applauded the Emirates crew for getting them home. Passengers look ashen explaining their fears whilst there.

Last night a lady interviewed in a Dubai hotel where guests have been told to stay as close to the underground car park as possible. Filming shows hotel guests sleeping in the corridors.

She is worried about food and money. Nothing resolved, just passed between travel company and airline, everything having to be paid upfront, worried that if this isn’t reimbursed she will have massive debts. Told her flight is at best, dats away. Her children crying every time an alarm sounds

A man interviewed, just about in tears, so hard on himself for bringing his children to a war zone. Again, his children so scared every time an alarm sounds, none of them sleeping.

Such a difference to the controlled messages shared on SM, including here.

I think there's likely a very big difference in how tourists feel and how residents feel. Residents are much more likely to be sanguine about it because they're in a familiar environment, they're in their own home, they don't have the uncertainty of trying to rebook flights or hotels, they've likely considered this as a possibility etc. Also, the people who opted to get on the first repatriation flight are self-selecting so those are going to be the people most desperate to leave and therefore most relieved to get out.

It's too simplistic to say "everyone feels like x or y" because people have different circumstances/ personalities etc.

An alert sounds…and nobody is worried???

It isn’t an alarm clock! It is a serious risk to safety (otherwise alerts would not be needed)

Alerts are going off because the country is activating its missile-warning system during attacks linked to the wider Iran–Israel conflict.
Iran launching missiles and drones toward Gulf countries.

Have you ever been in such a situation? I have had incidents on military bases here (bomb scares) scared of what was about to happen. It was terrifying.

I agree, absolutely bloody terrifying. My friend there and another work colleague are both posting about how they’re going about their usual business, going out, having a lovely holiday etc. i’m finding it very hard to believe actually.

Such a huge disparity though. Why would residents not be frightened of an attack, of blasts, of fires in buildings, of the uncertainty of keeping themselves and their children safe. Being a resident doesn’t protect from such things.

Residents also stand to lose much more than their holiday and a few thousand on rooms/food. Very worrying.

Thankfully I have never been, but I have experienced those phone alerts in the US to warn of tornado’s. They are quite loud and disconcerting,

It all started last Saturday and already, only a week in, people seem to be pretty nonchalant about the alerts.

I can’t imagine carrying on as normal if we end up having alerts here.

Maybe people would act differently if a bigger missile hit a target in Dubai (not saying I want that)

But what would you actually do though? That's the thing. You probably would kind of carry on as normal. People who live in conflict zones do still do "normal life" to the extent possible.

You’re definitely right here, about there being a difference between the reactions of residents and tourists.

Also, as a resident in the UAE, to PPs asking ‘are the government forcing people to say these things’ I would say this: the government of course want you to post positively but also people genuinely do feel grateful to the government and how effectively things are running on the ground.

There have been very few casualties (especially compared to the number of missiles) and most people are let’s describe it as living their normal routines in a state of heightened anxiety. Compare this to Lebanon’s experience of being struck at the moment where casualties are high and neighbourhoods are being turned to rubble. Things have been very well run, very little disruption to day to day life considering we are in a war.

When the alerts happen people are scared, we go indoors. We get the all clear and resume ‘normal’ routines. Obviously we don’t feel normal. Of course we are all anxious. We aren’t stupid. Not worried for our lives minute to minute, but the greater anxiety of knowing the potential behind every missile, of not knowing what will happen in the future, is the US news about defence supplies running out true? What if someone hits desalination plants?

But in the meantime it’s true that we are being looked after very well. Just the casualty numbers compared to how many missiles have been shot at is can tell you that.

Both things can be true at the same time. The government can be doing a great job AND they have a vested interested in people being positive.

Not sure golf would be high on my priority list,

I beg to differ.

You’ve obviously got some skin in the game which means you’re not a reliable commentator, so I’m not taking anything you say seriously.

I can’t imagine being sanquine with drones and bombs over head and sirens, just because I live there, I’m in London if someone was bombing London is not be sitting going a well sure it will be fine, I’d react like the tourists as that’s a normal human reaction.

i guess we are seeing on here people wanting to say Dubai is safe, despite all evidence to the contrary.

Shameful

It is shameful, and it’s dangerous.

Odd? Why? because I probably don’t fall into your narrow minded stereotypical mould regarding people who live in this part of the world.

And as for a back story - I suspect you’ve lead a very sheltered life and you just cannot understand that life exists in all shapes and sizes outside of your narrow view of the world.

And as I said before in reply to ThiagoJones - I beg to differ.

It’s a shame you can’t put posters on ‘ignore’ on here.

Think what you like. I doubt very much your entrenched views on this part of the world make it possible for you to accept anything other than what you want to hear.

Are people suggesting that some posters are paid or something?

My friends and family there still go to work and just do normal stuff. Less, but still some stuff. Same for another country which is being attacked. They can't just stop everything.

Putting someone on ignore is the cowards way to deal with things. Accepting that your jaundiced view of this part of the world at this time isn’t what you want it to be is by far the braver course of action.