“Your safety will be at risk” – Australian government strongly warns against snapping up cheap Middle East flights

• Some Aussies have been opting to fly through the Middle East, taking advantage of low prices.
• However, the government continues to very strongly warn against this, specifically advising against travel even if its just for the purpose of a layover.
• Smart Traveller says: “Even if you don’t plan to leave the airport. Your safety will be at risk.”

Aussie travellers who are looking to get to Europe this summer are facing a tough predicament. Alternative routes to Asia are facing flight cancellations and quickly rising costs, while travel to or through the Middle East is still severely warned against. 

However, at the same time, Middle East airlines are dropping their prices to unprecedented levels in order to try and lure customers onboard. You can find return flights from Australia to Europe as low as $1500, but as tempting as this might be you need to weigh the serious risks.

This leaves Aussies between the choice of paying premiums for more complicated and unfamiliar flight routes, or going against government warnings, and putting themselves in a situation where they will not be covered by travel insurance for the time that they are in the Middle East. 

In fact, outlets have reported that some Aussies are snapping up these options and enjoying the cheap flights for their trips to Europe, and simply running the risks that come with travelling through what continues to be a war zone, as well as an area where they can’t qualify for travel insurance. 

However, The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade continues to strongly advise against this. 

A spokesperson said: “There remains a risk of attacks and escalation. We continue to advise all Australians ‘do not travel’ to Bahrain, Iran, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. ‘Do not travel’ advice also applies to transit and layovers in affected locations.

“Military conflict in the Middle East has caused widespread airspace closures, flight cancellations and other travel disruptions both in the region and across the globe.”

In fact, the Smart Traveller advice for the UAE was last updated just two days ago, and contains this passage: “‘Do not travel’ advice applies to transit and layovers in the UAE. Even if you don’t plan to leave the airport. If you travel to or transit through the UAE, you may be unable to leave. Your safety will be at risk. Your travel insurance may become invalid.”

Should I book these cheap Middle East flights?

• It is not a good idea to book a flight to somewhere that Smart Traveller designates as a ‘Do Not Travel’ destination. The government warnings are in place for a reason, and it means Australia’s premier security experts have evaluated that any sort of travel through these destinations carries a major risk.
• You will not be able to insure yourself for these destinations. While acts of war are generally excluded anyway, this also means that even if you fell and twisted your ankle in the airport, you wouldn’t be covered. If there was a worst case situation on your trip, it’d be made even worse, and more costly, by the fact that you wouldn’t be insured.

Should I book the flight anyway, because if the conflict continues, the flight will be cancelled and I’ll get a refund?

• This idea sounds good in theory, but unfortunately, things aren’t quite that simple. As mentioned, flights are currently running in the Middle East, they’re just operating at a reduced schedule. 
• This means if you were to book one of these flights, it’s possible the flight will still go ahead even if the conflict is ongoing and Australia’s Smart Traveller warnings could still be in place. 
• Therefore, rather than the scenario of an easy refund, you could be faced with having to fly through a warzone, or losing your money.

What about a flexible fare through the Middle East?

• With an airline such as Etihad, you have the option of booking their ‘Deluxe’ fare, which offers unlimited changes and a free refund. 
• As far as flexibility goes, this is a much better option as you can wait to observe travel warnings and how things play out and then receive a full refund if you don’t feel safe travelling.
• However, the obvious catch is you have to pay a lot more. That $1500 Sydney to London flight quickly jumps to $2800 if you pay for the ‘Deluxe’ category which offers a free refund.
• The other problem with this strategy is that it makes it hard to plan the rest of your trip, as you don’t know if you’ll actually end up going or if you’ll take up the free refund offer. This complicates other deposits on things like hotels, cruises and tours, plus adds a lot of hassle if you end up not going on the trip.

What about the Asia hedging option?

• Cruise agent and expert Sharon Summerhayes, owner of Deluxe Travel and Cruise recommends the flexible ticket to Asia method. However, it also comes with a risk.
• She said: “I would recommend another flexible ticket purchase as insurance, if possible. One with an airline transiting Asia like Singapore Airlines, Thai, JAL etc that has a low cancellation penalty. Even if it costs you a couple of hundred dollars in cancellation fees, you have the insurance that should you not be able to take your originally booked flight, you’ll still have the option with your ‘insurance’ ticket.”
• This is a great strategy for making sure that no matter what, you’ll find a way to Europe. The only problem is as mentioned above, it’s possible your flight will be operating even if the conflict is ongoing, which means you wouldn’t receive a refund and you’d be left paying for two flights. 

So, what should I do about those cheap flights to Europe?

• Cruise Passenger’s experts say that if you want to make sure you can make your Europe trip this summer, get a flight that goes through Asia and lock it down as fast as you can.
• There are still flights with lines like China Southern, Turkish Airlines, Thai Airways, Cathay Pacific and more that can get you to Europe and back for less than $2500 this summer. While you might have to deal with a bit more travel time than an easy stopover in Dubai, it takes a lot of stress and risk out of your holiday. Click here for a full guide on alternative ways to Europe.
• However, due to the high demand, these flights are expected to rise soon, so if you want to make your trip this year, you should book as soon as possible.
• If a European cruise or trip is causing you too much stress, consider some alternative destinations from our guide here.