revtothelimit - motorbike forum

I'm hoping in the next month we potentially have a decision on booking some flights. But if we do they seem to have a short stop in Dubai or other Emirate locations.

Obviously there's things going on currently that could make that, well, complex.... maybe. Dangerous even...

So, would you book it at the moment.?

At the moment, it's probably more dangerous driving to Heathrow.

Probably not.

I do have a holiday booked in Turkey for the end of April that needs the final balance paying by the end of the month, I think I'll put it on the credit card just in case.

Even a tightarse like me would think twice, not because of the danger, just the chance of disruption to travel plans. There were a good few planes turned back mid-flight recently. Who needs that ballache?

gremlin wrote: Tue Mar 17, 2026 9:55 am Even a tightarse like me would think twice, not because of the danger, just the chance of disruption to travel plans. There were a good few planes turned back mid-flight recently. Who needs that ballache?

Yeah i completely get that logic too. If this happens it would deffo be on a pretty tight schedule too, getting there Wed and heading back Sunday... but the bit in the middle of it is 100% timing essential too.

And travel insurance won't cover you for acts of war so any delays or extra flights, hotels you need to book in the event of anything happening are on you

No. I despise the whole airport and flying thing at the best of times, so would be especially unlikely to go through that with increased risk of disruption.

Nope - we paid extra for a direct flight. Not worth the drama, member of.my team just been stuck in India for an extra week and had to find a way back.

Nope, never mind the danger, which there isn't a great deal of, but it'd be a ball ache to get stuck or have to cancel because an airline or airport cry's wolf and bails out

I have never booked any flights via any Arabian hub, and I shall forever continue not to do so.

gremlin wrote: Tue Mar 17, 2026 9:55 am Even a tightarse like me would think twice, not because of the danger, just the chance of disruption to travel plans. There were a good few planes turned back mid-flight recently. Who needs that ballache?

Same thinking here. Been stuck in various places, even if only for a short time, due to pretty routine stuff like fog causing crews to be in the wrong location*, technical issues with a plane - had to wait for engineers to fly out to Israel to fix it! etc.

That was all when things were normal, so nope under the current circumstances, even if it was just me travelling solo.

* which, oddly enough involved an overlong stop in Dubai because the crew had reached the limit on their flying hours. Back then the airport there was little more than a glorified bus station - but the food was good.

I'm surprised it's possible to book flights through that area at the moment.

Quite apart from the possibility of delays, I wouldn't put it past either side to start shooting down airliners "by mistake".

My Mrs works in travel and the last few weeks have been a hellscape of schedule changes. Having said that it's also been full of people flying to totally safe places, many thousands of miles away from the ME, flapping and wanting their money back.

Personally, I don't think I'd book anything stopping in the ME at the moment, who knows how long this shit show carries on for. Having said that, equally, I haven't thought about cancelling my already booked trip to Cyprus in Aug, but I'd see that as much less risk. Unless anything changes I'd still do that. But don't think I'd wanna book a flight that had a stop at an airport where this was the view out the window yesterday!



Just asked the Mrs and she said don't do it. Foreign Office advice is do not go to the ME, so if you do, you have no insurance.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm21gv3133zo

Who knows how far ahead this will change?

Airports are miserable places to kill time if you get unlucky,so like the other comments I'd be more concerned about having to sleep on a bench rather than being blown up.

Flown via Dubai numerous times. Last time to Africa I chose a flight to Johannesburg as the layover times in Dubai were too long and the flight to Durban was not Premium Economy as Emirates don't offer that option.

Skub wrote: Tue Mar 17, 2026 11:18 am Airports are miserable places to kill time if you get unlucky,so like the other comments I'd be more concerned about having to sleep on a bench rather than being blown up.

Hmmm there's an idea for a thread: 'worst airport for a delay?'

My vote: LA. I've had several stops there, mid flight to and from NZ. The only entertainment was when Filly was taken off by armed security guards

I got delayed in Banjul International.

It was like a portacabin in 36c heat.

Edit:

Looking at it on Google maps it doesn't look that bad, maybe I'm confusing it with the old Gibraltar terminal.

Horse wrote: Tue Mar 17, 2026 11:31 am

Skub wrote: Tue Mar 17, 2026 11:18 am Airports are miserable places to kill time if you get unlucky,so like the other comments I'd be more concerned about having to sleep on a bench rather than being blown up.

Hmmm there's an idea for a thread: 'worst airport for a delay?'

My vote: LA. I've had several stops there, mid flight to and from NZ. The only entertainment was when Filly was taken off by armed security guards

All of them! As Skub said, they're miserable places and best passed through as quickly as you can.

Even Charles de Gaulle was meh once everything closed down for the night. It's almost as if they design them to be uncomfortable so you don't linger - or spend most of your time in the shops.

The trip from Luton to Waterford was 'interesting'. Luton - an absolute festering armpit. Waterford - a small room with a tiny café hatch where they bring staff in only on the day or days that an aircraft arrive or left.

Lots of regional, internal flights only, Turkish airports were tiny back in the 80s. I think if there was problem there you could probably clear off and tell them to call you when they're ready. (No mobile phone then though).

However for the worst I'll stick with Luton. I wouldn't want to even use it again, never mind be stuck in it.

I did like London City but that was also the pleasure of getting on little planes and going to odd places like Clermont-Ferrand (another place that woke up when a plane arrives then went dormant 20 mins later).

KungFooBob wrote: Tue Mar 17, 2026 11:36 am I got delayed in Banjul International.

It was like a portacabin in 36c heat.

Edit:

Looking at it on Google maps it doesn't look that bad, maybe I'm confusing it with the old Gibraltar terminal.

I was once delayed in Egypt, err - Hurghada iirc, for 4 hours. We were delayed and held in the aircraft - outdoor temperature was 40+ (iirc) and they didn't have the air-con going because the engines weren't running. This was with SleazyJet.