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!

“They have to be back for work”. And there is war breaking out across the Middle East which has affected them getting home. Who gives a toss about work?

I just see that you booked flights

very wise

even if things get better, miraculously, and the war is over , there will still be a huge knock-on effect for days and weeks after..,

Are you sure?
www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2026/03/middle-east-conflict-travel-rights/#:~:text=Your%20airline%20must%20help%20during,updates%20on%20what's%20going%20on.

We’ve got friends in Cyprus and they’ve said that the media is exaggerating a lot of things

Work will understand if you are stranded @Twoshoesnewshoes I don't think it's unreasonable to wait. The airline has to make provision for you if they cancel so they'll be looking at alternatives for you.

Hope it all works out OK, but the orange one is on a stupid rampage and noone has yet taken him out...

In spite of the costs I’d want to get out asap. Hope you get home ok

Things in these regions could turn a lot worse at any moment..No one can predict what is going to happen next.

What is more important to you

Getting home quickly and safely or keeping your savings.

You decide.

Wait it out

Insurance is a con

It’s great, we live an active, adventurous, cultural holiday and it’s all of that.
hikes, jungle, safari, temples, bonkers cities and beautiful countryside

Thanks so much everyone who has given great advice and support. It’s been really helpful.
im going to check with BA website each morning to see if they cancel our flight then see what they offer us.
luckily ive found some great looking places around Galle (south coast of Sri Lanka) for around £20 per night so it will be okay if we do have to stay longer.
though unfortunately thats where the Iranian warship was torpedoed 80 miles off shore - it’s really sad.

We’re currently in the same boat but traveling on business so broker has said business insurance will pay.
My tip is use Trip.com for booking the new flights. Skyscanner, Expedia and Kiwi were no good. Kept offering flights on ME carriers or non-ME flights disappeared as soon as we tried to book. We got a flight home from HK day after we were originally due to travel on China Eastern Airways via Shanghai. Try the Chinese airlines. You still have loads of time so flights shouldn’t be too expensive. Qatar Airlines are refunding us in full and it was easy to manage the refund through the Qatar website. I didn’t cancel until the new flights had been booked.
Having said that, they are looking at safe corridors for flights through the ME. It’s reportedly costing Dubai Airport $1m a minute while the airport is closed. Friends who are stranded in Dubai and due to fly on Monday are being repatriated from Dubai today on a commercial flight. Good luck and enjoy Sri Lanka.

OP, I’m on a Sri Lanka travel fb group. Some people are getting out via flights to India. You need some sort of e-visa but you can apply online and be approved in 24 hours. Then there are flights to the U.K. I think and also some people getting flights to mainland Europe and then flights/eurostar from there. Good luck.

the flight from Oman failed last night due to technical difficulties.

I am currently in India. We are trying to get home. The flights seem to be full. We were originally with Qatar airlines.
One couple went home yesterday with a flight to Kenya, Kenya to Paris and Paris to London.

We stayed near Galle last Easter. It’s lovely - how lucky you get some more time in Sri Lanka (every cloud…)
Stay safe.

Off subject but I’m sure insurers have changed things since 9/11. Happy to be corrected if I’m wrong as I was in my late teens at the time so I wasn’t in charge of organising the travel insurance!

We were in Florida at the time of the attacks and our insurance paid our entire additional stay and some expenses. We were in a very expensive hotel - even back then it was around £600 ish per night. They did try to move us to a budget hotel at the end of our planned stay - we had been due to leave 2 days after the attacks - but I do recall my parents refused to move. We were there for around 10 days extra until airspace opened back up and flights had caught up. I remember we were on ‘standby’ each morning waiting to hear if we had a flight back yet. Whilst it was very subdued and we were just at the hotel, we just made the most of it.

You can claim the extra hotel and food costs back from BA if the flight is cancelled. You can also ask BA to arrange a hotel for you if needed (we were put in a Marriott so much nicer than we would have paid for ourselves) but you won’t be able to choose your location so depending on how long the delay is it might be nicer to choose your own and be able move around.

Sorry should have said that’s only if BA reroute you, if you take the refund and take the flight you’ve booked I don’t think you can claim the extra costs back.

Airline Employee Here. This is what my airline (not BA but a carrier that operates via the middle east) asking people to do.

1. Register with the FCO away from home scheme - airlines use this as well as their own records. It also lets the embassy know that you are stranded so that they can offer support.
2. If you booked direct with BA - contact them and ask for advice - their customer service teams will have the most up to date information as to what they are advising people to do and what they are doing to help. If not contact the company you booked with - they will most likely tell you to contact the airline but they also have a responsibility to help.
3. Your insurance won't cover you as you have discovered however most airlines are advising people to keep receipts for reasonable expenditure so you may get some reimbursement - but check with the company you booked with first to see what they are offering.
4. Do all of the above before booking flights as you may end up worse off - don't forget everyone will be trying to do the same thing - sometimes it is best not to panic but stop, breathe and weigh up your options - what might seem an expedient option in the first instance may end up a costly mistake. You could get stranded somewhere else as flights will be overbooked with people trying to get home and prices will be inflated. Airlines will most likely not give priority to people who have come from elsewhere when they would have been better staying put. Don't forget also that airlines will have crew and other staff stranded in some destinations that they will also need to get home to keep the airline running - so they might be prioritised over paying customers which will make the situation even more dynamic.
5. Contact your work and explain what you have done to let them know you are making best efforts to get home, most (decent) companies will understand - if you have a laptop or tablet and can work remotely - offer to do so. Not ideal but still (not possible in every case I know but it shows willing).
6. If you don't have kids and it's easy to get to the airport, sometimes it can be worth popping there at the due flight time every day to see if you can get on standby - believe it or not even in these situations people don't show up for flights so you never know. It can be a faff but worth a try on some occasions.

Hope this helps - good luck.

Thanks all. So much helpful advice.
yes I’m lucky to be somewhere so lovely if I do get stranded!
interesting to know that BA choose the area if they reroute us - but it’s cheap enough here to go where we want if they want us to stay in Colombo or something!

https://english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2026/03/06/emirates-airline-says-expects-to-return-to-100pct-flight-capacity-if-airspaces-reopen
Emirates airline says expects to return to 100pct flight capacity if airspaces reopen

Emirates airline expects a return to 100 percent of its network within the coming days, subject to airspace availability and the fulfillment of all operational requirements, an airline spokesperson said on Friday

Starting on Friday, Etihad Airways is restarting a “limited flight schedule” from its hub in Abu Dhabi. The carrier has operated some flights in recent days, but its latest announcement suggests it is moving toward more regular operations.

Etihad said that previously booked passengers as well as new customers will be able to travel on the flights, assuming “all safety criteria are met”. It listed more than 70 destinations it planned to fly to between 6 and 19 March.

Qatar Airways's scheduled flight operations remain temporarily suspended due to the closure of Qatari airspace.

https://www.euronews.com/travel/2026/03/06/middle-east-flights-emirates-aiming-to-be-back-at-100-capacity-in-coming-days

That all looks promising!
though I’ve kind of got used to the idea of being stranded for a few extra days…

Just an update - BA have contacted today to say that the flight on the 13th March via Doha is cancelled.
I contacted them on the chat, they offered a reroute for the 16th (via Doha!) and confirmed that I can claim back for expenses til then.
so I’m assuming it will be cancelled again and I’ll use our reserve option to Singapore on the 18th but at least our accommodation will be covered.
how is everyone else getting on?