Would you transit through Dubai?

[middleagedmum007]

I am due to visit family in Australia early next month and before the conflict started I booked a flight transiting through Dubai (2 hr stopover). I’ve contacted the airline and I can’t get a refund. Flights are still going through Dubai however the UK home office advises against all travel through the UAE and I understand that this includes transiting. If the conflict isn’t resolved I will probably lose the money (unless the flight is diverted). I can’t really afford to purchase another ticket and go through Asia or the US. I am well aware that this is a first world problem and that families in the Middle East are going through a terrible time. Any advice?

No.Things are ramping up out there. Your insurance will be void if you travel against government advice too.
I guess you either postpone your trip or find the money for a different route.

Good luck x

Solidarity.
I’m doing the same 3rd April and refunds / cancellations are only available for those flying before 28th March.

No chance

We were supposed to be doing the same in early April but I absolutely don't feel happy going through the middle East at the moment even if it is allowed. Currently most flights are only coming out rather than going in anyway. It's more than possible that your flight will be cancelled and you can get a refund but I appreciate that doesn't solve your problem immediately.

Weird book flexible tickets so cancelled them (we lost money but not a huge amount) and have booked different flights that don't go over the gulf.

Hope it works out for you.

I’m doing the same 4th April and unless cancelled I’m going

I would contact your travel insurers for advice.

My sister is transiting through - I assumed it wouldn’t happen but she says it seems like everything is normal inside - she called and asked me if I wanted anything from duty free 🙃

Yes I would. They aren't goping to allow flights to take-off and land if they think there is a real threat to aeroplanes.

That may change between now and when you fly but you can ber certain that they will stop all flights if there is any sign of flights being put in danger.

Not unless I want to risk getting shot down by a drone, no.

Ok so I am a travel insurer by profession and as you are aware no insurer will cover you for a trip against home office advice via Dubai currently, so if you get stuck there you are on your own in a war zone. If I were you I would wait. It is possible that the war stops quite quickly in which case it might be possible for you to go, though even if a halt is called to tomorrow it might be a number of weeks before UKG advice changes. The other possibility is that the flight is cancelled at which point you would get a refund and can plan a later trip.

No I wouldn't I would hold out and see if you get issued a refund. Then go another time via L.A. or somewhere else.

Not the same as it was not a war zone but about 10 years ago we were booked to go somewhere that had been hit by a natural disaster. Of course the most important people were the people that lived there. The advice was do not travel there but the airline did not issue refunds until I think a week before.

I wouldn’t, the situation seems to be escalating by the hour over there.

A colleague returned from a trip a few days ago and what should have been an 18h journey turned into 53 hours due to repeat cancellations.

Would I transit through an airport thats under attack from Iran? Eh, that'll be a no.

No

Lol, no. If my journey was really important and I could afford it I'd book new tickets and hope the originals were refunded.

My dad transited through to go to Philippines and brother in law transited on way back from Japan
both this week, though work not holiday

It's a difficult one as you'll lose money if you cancel. If they cancel, they'll reschedule your flight. I'd just wait and see.

I'd do nothing for now

Just wait and see

No, I'd be following the advice from the government advising against all travel.

I will be flying into Dubai and onto the UK later today, my 3rd reschedule.

I know people who have gone over the last couple of days and they said everything was normal. But I have quite a long connection which I really am not happy about, but I have to get back. And no I have not been on holiday im an ex-pat.

Flights from my part of the world are no existent and are full into April.

I have a colleague meant to come back through there today. I just booked her another ticket. Personally, I think the risk is tiny but not one I want to take.

Won't insurance cover it? It usually pays out if official govenrment advice is not to travel.

We are meant to be transiting through Doha at the end of April and start of May. Haven't a clue whether it will happen. I think if the flights are going ahead we will just go but I will be quite stressed about it.

No I wouldn’t and in fact we’ve just cancelled our trip to Thailand on 1st April, flying via Dubai to Phuket via Emirates, booked with Kuoni. We got full refund on the holiday package but had to pay £250/pp as a charge due to flights already being ticketed. We could have waited until 28/3 where we would have fallen in to kuoni policy, it may be the same as now (full refund/no charge at all) but we didn’t want to risk it. If advice had been on 28/3 that it was still safe to fly but we chose not to, we’d have lost the full price of the package holiday.

We are booked to transit through Dubai at the start of April and if the flights go ahead I will be on it. If the flights are cancelled we will get a refund so I am very much sitting tight.