Just wondering if anyone has any current experience of flying via the Middle East hubs at the moment. What impact is the war having? Etihad has some crazy low fares at the moment through to June. The reasons are pretty obvious, but I wonder what the picture IRL is.... 

 

May I ask if the Etihad fare links your departure point with Thailand as the destination after a plane change? The reason I ask is that Emirates and Qatar have resumed a small number of flights out of Bangkok, but only as far as Dubai and Doha. You can not book through tickets to other countries.

I had several trips between now and the end of June, Bangkok to UK and EU return transiting via Doha. All cancelled by airline in the last few days. 

Word on the streets in Qatar is that Qatar is paying Iran not to attack.

BA and others have e cancelled all flights for some weeks, I think. Last time I looked, FCO warned against any travel there, so invalidating any travel insurance

You could look at the Helsinki Bangkok flight with Finnair 

 I saw Emirates flight  from Dubai landing this morning in my local airport so there are at least some flights

I was in Doha airport Tuesday. Quieter than usual but many flights operating semi normally with a few cancellations on the boards. Flights from UK to bkk to avoid the gulf with one change (eg KLM, Turkish) were maybe £1,000 more than middle east airlines for short notice flights.  

I once got incredible discounts on premium seats through travelbusinessclass.com, which really helped during uncertain times. They offer reduced business and first-class fares, so it's worth checking out if you're considering flying via the Middle East. And since flight options seem limited, a personal travel advisor could be a major advantage, especially with ongoing travel disruptions.

I flew to BKK via Doha with Qatar Air in March/April and it was fine, though the MAN-DOH flight was late and they put us in a hotel. The delay wasn't due to the war and I successfully claimed the £520. The UK foreign office has started to ease its advice on travel via the Gulf States. BBC 18/6/2026: The Foreign Office has dropped its advice against travelling to Dubai, but warned British citizens that "the situation remains unpredictable" in the region.

I have managed to avoid the Middle East layover and booked a mid September flight direct BA LGW to BKK for £620 which I thought was a pretty decent price.  

Going in August, re-positioning flight from lhr to Madrid, then Madrid to Bkk via Doha (v good business price booked before Trump's madness). One sector was on Iberia, which has ended up being cancelled and I have been put on QR for each sector instead.