A direct result of this diplomatic crisis is a confusing situation for travellers, who face potentially cancelled or delayed flights, and slightly longer flights for the many routes still in operation as Qatar Airways is forced to fly around airspace from which they are banned. For example, the current record holder for “world’s longest flight,” a non-stop journey on Qatar Airways from Doha to Auckland, New Zealand, typically lasts just under 16 hours from take-off to landing. With the new diversion over Iran to avoid the UAE’s airspace, the flight may see an extra 15 minutes added to its already gruelling duration.Travellers holding tickets on Qatar Airways or any airline with connections in the Middle East region should familiarise themselves with the latest on the situation, as new clarifications and rulings continue to come. As it stands, anyone flying any airline between Doha and destinations in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the UAE will find these flights have been cancelled and they should contact their airlines for refunds and rebooking. Gulf News is sharing rebooking options for passengers on Qatar Airways flights facing challenges. There have been reports of Qatar Airways mounting charter relief flights via Kuwait or Oman, but as all Qatari citizens have been ordered to leave Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain within two weeks, airlifts are likely to focus on aiding them.
Travellers with itineraries that pass through Doha but do not begin or end in one of the countries banning Qatar Airways will find their flights only slightly affected by the ban, owing to the restrictions on air routes and longer flight times, but will not face mass cancellations and should proceed with travel plans as normal. Some passengers, like one Canada-based woman, have found the upset to be to their advantage. Speaking about her Tuesday flight from Kilimanjaro in Tanzania to Doha, she says: “I basically had the plane to myself. I was urged not to go but I didn't run into any issues.”
It’s not all easy going for passengers, however. A Brussels-based flyer, who wished to remain anonymous, rearranged his plans for his Maldives holiday because of the chaos (diplomatic relations have been severed between the two countries, though Qatar Airways flights are still allowed to land in Malé), instead moving his booking to fly to Bangkok. “I’m hoping to buy a Bangkok Airways flight to make it to Malé, but I really don’t want to think about getting home just yet,” he tells The Independent from his Doha layover yesterday. “I’ll see what it is like in the Maldives and hope for better news while I’m away, but I will read the fine print of my travel insurance just in case.”
Another traveller in Sri Lanka booked to fly with Qatar Airways to London via Doha, told The Independent about her fears. “I'm anxious because i don't know what’s going on," she said. "I've been abroad for five months and I usually live in a local home-stay with very limited wifi access. Also there is just a stigma about the Middle East. It’s somewhere I've never travelled and so it’s unfamiliar.”
Travellers are right to be cautious, especially if their current or future travel plans involve visiting the United Arab Emirates, as even social media mentions of support for Qatar could face retaliation. Al Jazeera notes that UAE’s Attorney General has threatened offenders with jail terms up to 15 years and $136,000 fines, so perhaps it’s wise to keep any praise of Qatar Airways or your Doha layover off of Twitter or Facebook. It’s a situation that’s even breeding uncertainty in travellers with no upcoming plans, such as one woman who visited Doha last month through the airline’s complimentary stopover program.
“This is all really intense,” she tells The Independent. “I'm almost out of pages on my passport so all this makes me want to get my new one earlier and really start from scratch and consider my routes. Qatar Airways has a good product. Politics aside, the ban forces my hand to not book with them. There's too much unpredictability with them and the rest of the world given the current state of things.”
Unpredictable is the best way to describe the current situation. Ongoing efforts by diplomats in mediating countries like Kuwait and Turkey may prove successful and restore travel, or they may fail. In any case, there is no certainty as to when the travel restrictions around Qatar will be lifted and to what extent. The best precaution travellers can make regarding upcoming plans is to stay informed, as well as being ready and willing to make alternate travel plans.