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?

Just looking at routes today you could theoretically catch a flight from Dubai to Jeddah, then Jeddah to Cairo and on to Heathrow.

My DS had to do something similar. Four flights a combination of being in a remote part of Africa and an air traffic control strike. It's not nice and very time consuming.

There's probably taxis on the other side waiting to collect those that cross over

FWIW if people can get to Riyadh (not checked flights DXB-RUH) BA are still selling seats on their Monday very early AM nonstopper from there to Heathrow.

I guess for many the issue might be the logistics (including Visas) involved in escaping from Dubai to an adjacent state.

I think the issue is you can be booked on a flight from Dubai or AD but there’s a high risk of it being cancelled possibly multiple times. So for more certainty around a flight actually leaving it might be better to get to Riyadh or Oman. But neither of these overland journeys are easy. Uk citizens can now get visa on arrival in Oman I think. Not sure about Saudi.

The price of a last minute one way flight from Oman to anywhere in Europe is over $2,000pp (economy) that’s if you can even find a seat. Imagine trying to get a family out 😲. The drive from Dubai to Muscat is around 5 hours and quite easy, the border crossing is very efficient.

Also, expats do actually live in the country they live in. They might be of another nationality but they don’t miraculously have places to live in their original country. They have houses, jobs, pets etc in Dubai, Qatar, Bahrain. It’s all well and good scrambling to leave but where do you go and what do you do when you’re there? When life is very scary but essentially safe to you on a day to day basis where’s the incentive to leave? To lose your job, leave all your stuff and your friends behind, with nothing to go to? It’s preferable just to stick it out for as long as possible.

Well put I cannot begin to imagine what might be ahead for them though

If this were happening in the UK I’d be terrified and I can’t imagine anyone saying otherwise. I wonder how much more it will take for them to leave the lifestyle behind.

I've thought the same as it's just not natural language for British people to use. Perhaps they're all just copying their friends and that's why they are saying the same things but I think we'd more likely say we're relieved the military is doing a good job. Using phrases like 'we have faith in our leaders' which I've read a lot, sounds cult like.

Also, the vitriol targeted against those that are leaving, the language is all the same. People are being accused of being dramatic. Creating drama. Those two words in every post. And they're told not to come back. .

I don't doubt most expats, particularly mothers with children, are living in a state of high anxiety but either can't easily leave or don't want to imagine their dream life falling apart. So, their brain has gone into protection mode and looking for signs that all is okay.

I am no fan of Dubai but hope everyone stays safe.

@snoopymugi do think this is a big factor in it. To admit that it’s dangerous to stay there with their children would feel like they are admitting to not protecting them and getting them out when (in many people’s opinion) it would be the obvious thing to do. It’s not that simple, it’s far safer to stay in your quiet community far from the main targets right now, sheltering indoors when any warnings come in case of debris, than go near an airport or plane or crossing borders to get away. They are also tied into jobs, homes, school, responsible for their nanny, some have pets that would be abandoned. it’s not a holiday they can just walk away from with a suitcase. My fear for them is that the gov won’t admit when it tips too far - won’t warm them if supplies of fuel/water/food are going to become more limited until it’s too late and there is a mad panic to get out that when he worse than a relatively calm and measured exit right now. And the rulers won’t admit it - if they lose all the expats the whole house of cards falls down.

There is a lot of Schadenfreude around in certain media and amongst those who are not there I think.

"That'll teach them influencers and blingers" kind of thing. Subtle enough, but it's there...

over Invested much 😂😂😂😂

Dubai is in a precarious position with Iran so close…a lot depends on how long this is going to go on for.
I couldn’t imagine living with the threat of missiles but not easy to just pack up a whole life…

Does no one remember their history? WWII, with no social media - “Careless Talk Costs Lives”?
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/home-front-1939-1945-part-two/be-careful-what-you-say/

Abu Dhabi seems to be suffering less than Dubai, and some have taken a taxi there and got home

Muscat, in Oman, is the preferred route for FCO arranged evacuations

Anything by boat is incredibly dangerous right now

A major expedition would be to hire a car, and drive to Riyadh, In Saudi or Doha in Qatar, although the latter may be just as bad as Dubai right now

Most travel companies are advising 'shelter in place' but I understand that might feel very unsafe at the moment

I have a dear friend in Saudi Arabia at the moment. She works for a high ranking official and she’s not telling me anything that’s not in the public domain, even though I know she’ll know exactly what’s going on. It’s more than her life would be worth to share it. I don’t think some of the influencers and others out there know how serious it is, not just in terms of careless talk but also the laws relating to it.

DH is stuck in Israel and has said similar things about life carrying on as normal. He isn’t nonchalant about the sirens and says it’s still frightening when they go off (repeatedly, and usually in the middle of the night) but most people are continuing their normal lives. He is in a fairly remote part of Israel, so not sure it would be the same in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem, but he’s been surprised how quickly life goes on.

@tiantian1005 have you had any news about getting home yet?

Has your DH been given any Indication of when he’ll be able to fly home? I’ve got a friend who’s also stuck and is desperate to get back.

He had flight booked for later this week once his original had been cancelled but this was also cancelled and rescheduled for the 20th.

He’s taken a bus to Elat at the Israeli/Egyptian border and booked a minibus tour group to go across the border and then head to Sharm el sheik and fly from there. It’s been relatively straightforward and as its southern Israel, away from most of the attacks.

He made friends with a couple who flew back from tel aviv to London yesterday but we thought it was safer to avoid the built up areas, plus they had help from their rabbi to get them seats so not sure how accessible they are to the general public. He’s through to Egypt and that was all fine, so worth considering it as an option!

Can I please just post this link here.

People are abandoning their pets in Dubai and this charity is one of many who are trying to deal with it.

warpaws.org/