A significant escalation in military activity across the Middle East following the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader has led to the suspension of flights by several major airlines based in the region.
The Middle East is home to several major airlines who specialise in the transit market, meaning they are carrying passengers between points around the world, funneled through their own operational bases in a classic hub-and-spoke arrangement.
Ordinarily, this is an efficient and successful business model. However, its Achilles Heel is exposed when those hubs experience significant disruption. This has been the case in the last few days.
Civilian infrastructure has been targeted in multiple countries across the Persian Gulf region. International airports in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi have been struck by debris from Iranian attacks, with one fatality reported at the latter. The State of Qatar also claims to have intercepted attacks aimed at Doha International Airport.
The following is a synopsis of the latest information available to Rebel Flying on the state of affairs of major airlines in the region.
EMIRATES
Flights from the Dubai hub were suspended until earlier today, March 3.
Anecdotal reports are that the airline has been forthcoming and accommodating in rebooking and rerouting affected passengers on both partner and rival airlines.
A significant backlog remains, but it now appears that limited flights are resuming.
ETIHAD
Flights from Abu Dhabi were suspended for around 72 hours from February 28 to March 3.
Rebel Flying is receiving mixed reports in relation to alternative arrangements made for travellers, with some success stories, but most reporting that rebooking is only being offered on the carrier’s own services.
Limited flights are reported to be operating as of today, March 3.
QATAR AIRWAYS
Qatar Airways services have been fully suspended for around 72 hours, with a further announcement expected at 0900 Qatari local time (0600GMT) tomorrow, March 4.
Anecdotal reports of the customer service response have been overwhelmingly negative, with many passengers denied rebooking or rerouting on other carriers, in contravention of EU261 and UK261 regulations.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
The following is the personal experience of Rebel Flying’s Editor, The Bouncer:
I am currently in the New Delhi area of India, returning to Europe from a five month season of travel. I was holding a business class ticket to return from Delhi with Qatar Airways, via Doha, to Manchester (DEL-DOH-MAN).
Following the announcement of a travel waiver allowing a refund or rebooking for customers holding confirmed bookings between February 28 and March 6, I contacted the UK call centre of Qatar Airways.
The terms of the waiver, clearly communicated to me by email, were categorically denied by three front line agents and two supervisors. I was denied any of the options explicitly offered by the official waiver and offered only the option of a British Airways flight on March 15 at a cost to myself of $6,800 (£5,100).
At the end of a rather tumultuous travel season, I am in no mood for such shenanigans and made the decision to cancel the Qatar Airways flight. Qatar Airways’ procrastination has meant that availability on European carriers has rapidly evaporated, leaving me with limited options.
I have now rerouted myself via Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on a combination of Centrum Air (a semi-low-cost operator based in Uzbekistan that I admit I had previously never heard of) and an Uzbekistan Airways flight from Tashkent to London Gatwick, with a 48-hour self-transfer in Tashkent.
The “customer service” I have received from Qatar Airways is, frankly, a disgrace. To add insult to injury, they demanded an upfront payment of $200 (£150) in oder to process my refund. They can rest assured that there will be a charge back issued through American Express, as well as enforcement action via the UK Small Claims courts – see MCOL for details.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, Rebel Flying can state that travellers are currently facing very severe disruption when flying through the Middle East region. If you are caught up in this disruption, our advice is the following:
Your first port of call is your airline. If they are unhelpful, as is often the case, your travel insurer is the next option. However, this comes with the caveat that most travel insurers explicitly exclude force majeure, including acts of war, from their policies.
If both your airline and your insurer let you down, you are on your own. As our Editor found to his considerable cost, there are times when you have to take matters into your own hands.
In terms of new bookings for future travel, Rebel Flying’s advice is simple. The Middle East is currently a very volatile region and one which we will be avoiding until further notice.
