Middle East flight disruptions grow after US airstrikes and Iranian missile threats

USA Today

23-06-2025

Air travel across the Middle East is facing major disruptions amid escalating tensions between Israel and Iran and the U.S. bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend.Qatar closed its airspace Monday, with several other countries in the region reportedly doing so as well.
It's not just travel to those destinations that's impacted, but also journeys through them. Dubai, for instance, is a major global connection hub, and United Airlines is among several carriers that have temporarily suspended flights there.
'Safety of flight is paramount. That means not just the airplane, it's the crew. It's the passengers. It's the cargo onboard, so all the decisions that are made are based on safety of flight,' said Robert W. Mann, Jr., an independent airline industry analyst and former airline executive who's now president of R.W. Mann & Company. 'I think where you see differences where is where you see differences in carrier assessments of safety of flight.
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Here's what travelers flying to and through the Middle East should know.
Do flights change routes?
Airlines can sometimes reroute flights.
'You obviously want to take the customer where they want to go,' Mann said. 'Flying on time, reliably, is a big deal. That's important in customer attention and you know customer experience, so if it involves a reroute, you try that first.'
However, rerouting has its limits.
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'If you take an already long flight that transits a conflict zone and have to reroute it, you may add enough additional flight time that the equipment is not able to perform the mission nonstop,' Mann said. Additionally, he said, 'There are some limitations on flying time and duty time that are both established by the regulatory agencies – FAA for U.S. carriers – and by their collective bargaining agreements, so there's a finite limit on how much scheduled flying time is permissible.'
Above all, safety comes first.
"If it's a pure safety of flight issue, you don't go. Period,' Mann said. 'You've got to simply operate such that this is never a question anybody has to raise about you or anybody else in this industry.'
What can travelers do?
Passengers traveling into and through the Middle East should check with their airlines for the latest updates.
'It's really just a case of keep your ears open, keep your eyes open,' Mann said. 'The more informed you are, the better prepared you are and the better prepared you are, the more options you have.'
He directed travelers to the State Department's travel advisories for additional guidance.
'They're quite risk adverse, I mean probably more risk adverse than a lot of individuals are, but on the other hand it's a good barometer for what they view as not only the instant risk, but the potential risk, and you have to think of things in potential terms,' he said.
The State Department had already warned Americans against visiting Iran and Israel, but on Sunday issued a worldwide caution to U.S. citizens abroad on Sunday, following the U.S strikes on Iran.
Travelers who are still planning their trips may consider adding travel insurance to their plans, but they should check the terms closely. SquareMouth Travel Insurance notes, 'Under most travel insurance policies, war, acts of war, and political unrest are excluded from cancellation coverage, meaning any resulting claims likely will not be paid. However, travel insurance policies typically do not have specific definitions for war.'
What happens if my flight is canceled?
If a flight is cancelled, travelers are entitled to a refund, according to Transportation Department rules.
However, there may be cases when a carrier is still flying into a destination other carriers have suspended flights to, or travelers simply feel uneasy about going there. In those cases, travelers can reach out to the airline with their concerns.
'The carrier may give you credit for the value of the ticket,' Mann said. 'Some cases they won't. In other cases, they'll do so for a fee. In other cases, I am willing to bet that they will probably say, 'Yeah, that's fine. No problem. Just either rebook or tell us what you want to do.' '
The former airline executive said carriers are not only concerned about safety but also about keeping customers' business.