A British couple stranded in Thailand say their dream holiday has turned into a “holiday from hell” after flight cancellations linked to the US–Israel conflict with Iran left them unable to return home. Laura Webster, 40, from Birmingham, said she and her husband have been told by their travel agent that there are no available flights to the UK for at least two weeks. The pair have young children in the UK who are currently being cared for by former partners.
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The couple had planned to fly with Emirates to Dubai on Wednesday 5 March, for a three-night stay before taking a connecting flight to Birmingham. However, the flight was cancelled as airlines reduced operations in the region. Emirates told passengers it was operating “a reduced flight schedule until further notice” and said travellers transiting through Dubai would “only be accepted for travel if their connecting flight is operating”.
Webster said the couple are urgently trying to find an alternative way home. “We’ve got work, we’ve got kids. We want to get back ASAP. We don’t care if that means four flights,” she said. One option they found involved travelling via Japan, but tickets were priced at £10,000 each, which they said was unaffordable.
The disruption follows widespread airspace closures across the Middle East after the conflict began last weekend. As a result, the vast majority of flights to and from the region have been cancelled or significantly reduced. The situation made worse by images from Dubai showed thick black smoke billowing into the air above Jebel Ali port after debris from an intercepted Iranian missile struck the area.
The situation has also highlighted limits in passenger protections for some travellers. Passengers arriving in the UK on flights operated by airlines based outside the UK or European Union are not covered by UK consumer law. This means airlines are not required to rebook affected passengers on alternative carriers even if another route would get them home sooner.
Webster said their travel agent managed to arrange three additional nights of accommodation in Thailand, but after that they have had to make their own arrangements. She said their travel insurance would not cover the disruption because it is related to war.
“Unless you have a direct flight that’s already booked from Bangkok to London, you’re stuffed for two weeks at least,” she said. “It’s just horrible. It’s literally a holiday from hell.”
The BBC reported that as flight schedules remain reduced and regional airspace restrictions continue, stranded travellers face uncertainty about when normal routes will resume. Airlines have not indicated when full services through Middle Eastern hubs such as Dubai may be restored.
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Adapted by ASEAN Now BBC 8 Mar 2026
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