Stuck in Doha, Travelers Look for Escape After Airspace Closes
But getting passengers back on track again has proven to be more complicated. At Hamad International Airport, typically a model of calm, efficiency and quiet luxury, ground staff were overwhelmed by travelers looking for a way out after the escalating regional conflict crossed their flight plans. Hundreds of stranded customers stormed transfer desks or clogged up escalators and waiting lounges.
'Tempers were certainly flaring,' said Howard Gottlieb, 68, from Arlington, Texas, whose return flight to Dallas after a trip to Africa was canceled. 'People were beginning to yell and push. Others were simply laying down in the middle of the crowd.'
The turmoil underscores the fragility of the airline industry that's been forced to make short-term adjustments to flight paths and travel schedules as it gets caught up in regional conflicts from Ukraine to the Middle East. The scenes playing out at Hamad airport stand in stark contrast to the seamless, globe-spanning operations brimming with luxury service that have put superconnector hubs like Doha and Dubai on the map and turned them into aviation trend-setters.
Qatar Airway Chief Executive Officer Badr Al-Meer, who previously ran the airport, is now in his second year leading the airline. The company said it provided a travel alert with details on refunds and flight change information.
In nearby Dubai, operations swiftly returned to normal at Emirates because the airspace there didn't close down as completely as in Qatar. The airline, the world's biggest international carrier, said in a statement that 'passengers experienced minimal disruptions to their travel,' and that the company 'quickly activated its robust contingency and disruption plans.'
The clockwork routine that's normally associated with airline operations in the Persian Gulf was upended late on Monday night, just before Iran launched a missile strike at a US air base in the country. That move prompted Qatar to suspend transits over its air space, while flights in and out of Dubai International Airport, the world's busiest hub, were also temporarily halted.
Marzahn Botha, who had traveled from Athens in the afternoon, finally made it Doha after a detour to Dammam in Saudi Arabia, where the plane waited for four hours before it was cleared to continue its journey to Qatar.
When passengers finally got off at the airport, 'it was crazy,' Botha said in an interview. 'The queues were so long, some people missed their flight for standing in line.'
Dozens of Gulf-bound flights on several commercial airlines were diverted en route to safer airports in the Egyptian capital of Cairo, India and Belgium, including those from London and Zurich to destinations like Dubai and Qatar, based on data from aviation consultant Cirium.
For Gottlieb and his wife, their path out of Doha led them via a connection through Chicago and then on to their final destination in Dallas, he said in an interview.
'I'm fortunate enough to be able to purchase other tickets,' he said. 'I still have no idea how the refund will work — but at least we got out.'
--With assistance from Anthony Palazzo.
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