To ask WWYD - flight home cancelled

[Twoshoesnewshoes]

Posting for traffic - we are in Sri Lanka and due to fly home on Friday 13th with Qatar airlines, via Doha, to London Heathrow.
we booked through BA -
both BA and Qatar are saying that flights up to 8th March can get a refund.
we think we can fly to Singapore then direct to London- there are not many flights available, and it would cost around £1400 each (double our original flight).

WWYD - should we wait and see if airspace clears over Middle East?
or book another flight while they’re available and hope our original flight remains cancelled?
we can afford it but that will be savings cleared out.
please help
YABU - hold tight, air space may clear
YANBU - book another flight now!

watching with interest

My son is in thailand in the same situation. Due back via Dubai on the 16th. I can't decide whether to book him another flight or wait. Everyone is saying wait..

We flew out late on the Saturday evening and they were liquidated at 2am on a Sunday morning (had to wait until there were no planes in the sky).

I was quite disappointed the government did such a good job tbh, I would have happily had an extra week or two.

I'd ring my insurer.

I would personally rather spend the extra and be safe than fly anywhere near a warzone.

On flightradar there are already some flights going in and out of Dubai and Abu Dhabi this evening. If I were you, I would wait and see.

Totally agree. All the seasoned politcal coverage seems aghast how quickly this is spiraling. Get ye home!!!!

An emirates plane has just taken off from Dubai airport heading for Sydney which I was a bit surprised to see on flight radar.

@ActoBelle

FWIW If you use flightradar's filter function to select DXB outbound flights only, then zoom out to view a big chunk of the globe you can see there have been a few flights out of there in the last few hours.

it's nothing like their normal rate but they've been trickling flights out as and when they can.

Thanks, will do that. An emirates flight from India is also incoming to Dubai. Bet that plane is fairly empty! Dunno maybe people ,desperate to get home from India with Dubai as a brief layover rather than people going for a holiday!

@Twoshoesnewshoes did you book the holiday through BA? Or just flights and arranged your accommodation yourselves?

If it's the package holiday, you'll have had a text from Duty Office. Call them - whilst they won't know when airspace is reopening, they'll help as much as they can with alternative options.

The rules are different for non British and non EU airlines, it's why we always try to book with BA because they are legally obliged to get you alternative flights and will.
Don't compare your own situation with people who booked with foreign airlines because it will just panic you.

@WhatsitWiggle just flights

This is the CAA guidance on what is covered. https://www.caa.co.uk/newsroom/news/guidance-to-passengers-facing-disruption-in-the-middle-east-and-cyprus-3-march-2026/

Pre flying my understanding is any flight originating in EU or UK operated by any airline is covered so with Emirates flights we are covered as not flown at all for a full refund if they cancel of the whole booking including return and connecting flights. If we go for reroute option they are only obliged to help on way out as they are a non EU carrier. I am not sure which category you will be in as Qatar is a non EU carrier and they are the operator. Though these are the minimums and they can offer more. It would be useful if BA could say if Qatar cancel would they reroute for free and / or refund in full now outbound is taken. When we were affected in 202O EVA Air refunded in full incl seats both ways, Air Asia offered credits when cancelled. As flights were not including EU and not on EU airline it was up to them. We did get half back via chargeback and used the credits 4 years later.

my family are trying to get back from india , after an unforeseen change in travel plans - the ticket prices are extortionate

Hope you can get your family back safely soon @NoahVale and without bankrupting them.

Probably not. Acts of war are usually excluded from insurance/refund conditions.

Hold tight for a bit longer.

I am a travel insurer by trade. You are right to highlight that the exclusion does not provide cover under your policy. However, some insurers are going beyond policy terms in the current scenario to try and help customers. If you have purchased decent cover it is still worth a discussion with your insurer.

Well I had a message in the night (as it's 8 hours ahead there) that they had found another flight and booked it, for this Sunday. A straight flight from Singapore to London. About 4 hours drive to get to Singapore. YAY!
NOT ..... About half hour later another message saying the flight had been cancelled by the carrier!!!!

Now she has to do a dispute claim through her credit card now to try and get her money back for the Qantas flights

They may well be flying it in empty so they have a plane to fly people out of Dubai on.

I wouldn't assume it's inbound empty, but who knows.

There's still going to be a demand for business travel between between the sub-Continent and the Gulf and of course a lot of the workforce in the Emirates also comes from that part of the world.

@Cyclebabble
My daughters insurers have said this ..... They have also advised that they are providing some cover regarding the middle east airspace however to clarify any coverage further, a claim will need to be submitted in order to review what we are able to refund.

@KatieA12B3C oh that’s rubbish! What a nightmare

Hope your DD can get home safely soon @KatieA12B3C

Emirates have just extended refunds to 12th March and cancelled flights to end of 7 March and allowing people to date change until 27th March. Press release on their website.

I think flights now coming in are empty and going out are taking invited only passengers on special flights back. The BBC had an article about one, accompanied by a fighter jet.