HONG KONG: After the United States and Israel began bombing Iran on February 28, hundreds of thousands of travelers were left stranded in the Middle East due to widespread flight disruptions and even damage to some airports.
As the conflict spread to other countries in the region, travelers have scrambled to get home, with some ending up shelling out large amounts to do so. For example, one couple ended up spending almost HK$50,000 (S$8,175) to leave Dubai, according to a South China Morning Post report from earlier this week.
It told the story of 35-year-year-old Yen Kwok, who, with her husband, had booked Emirates Airlines flights to and from Dubai from Feb 20 to March 1.
Unfortunately, the war interrupted their plans, and they found themselves stranded as their return flight was canceled.
What followed was a series of unfortunate events.
Ms. Kwok was able to get tickets from Dubai to Hong Kong for March 4. However, mental fatigue caused her to answer a form incorrectly, and she ended up accidentally cancelling the tickets. She said that the biggest mistake was made by Emirates when it refunded her newly-bought tickets. And when she and her husband booked a flight for March 5, it ended up being canceled.
Like other stranded travelers, they had to wait until the carrier cancelled a flight before they looked for new tickets, which were getting more expensive each time they checked.
After their March 5 flight was canceled, they looked again for tickets to return to Hong Kong, and found that there were no more seats in economy class “for days.”
They decided to buy business class seats, for which they were charged HK$48,000 (S$7,850) for two one-way tickets by Emirates. In addition to this, they had to pay another HK$6,000 (S$981) for hotel accommodations for their extended stay.
Ms. Kwok told SCMP that the extra funds they shelled out could have paid for another vacation.
Hongkongers in the Middle East
A March 11 report said that around 460 Hongkongers had left the Middle East, with some having received assistance from the government. Approximately 150 workers and residents remain in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. These individuals are said to be located in a secure area, the report added.
Emirates Airlines is still flying every day from Dubai, and a direct flight to Hong Kong from Doha was also scheduled by Qatar Airways. /TISG
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