There is so much drama in this world. This is unbelievable. I hope this guy recover one day from this trauma !

• If you have an economy ticket during the affected dates, you can either:

  • Rebook onto another Qatar Airways or partner flight within two weeks of your original date, at no extra cost.

  • Request a refund if you prefer not to travel.

• The policy is temporary and tied to the closure of Qatari airspace and the regional conflict.

2 hours ago, Emdog said:

He's heartbroken? Over the years I have met many Iranians here & invariably good hearted people, generous.... imagine their heart break if they happen to get blown up in Iran. This poor German fellow has been inconvenienced. Iranians are in stage one repaly of chaos of Iraq war

Yeah, it’s important to keep some perspective when lamenting your own ills. Which he did in a way insofar as he said it’s just one of those things.

How sad. His vacation has been postponed due to a global conflict. Probably the first time anyone has ever been inconvenienced by some outside force. Consider the alternatives.

4 hours ago, impulse said:

Not so easy to find nowadays with Russkie airspace also closed to most European flights.

Pull out your globe (not a flat map) and try to stretch a string between Germany and Thailand without crossing the Middle East or Russkie airspace.

Thailand always ignoring the Americas which are largely unaffected with trans Pacific routes. I've never flown via the Middle East or over Asiatic Russia. Thailand has a bad habit of putting all its eggs in one basket.

6 hours ago, lch said:

Fly to Thailand vi a route that has open air space, common sence is not that common!

Air space was open when he booked his ticket, I see common sense is not one of your attributes either!

8 hours ago, SamSpade said:

Insurance has nothing to do with it, the airline has to either rebook him or give him a full refund.

Similar to what they did during Covid when Qatar gave you the options of a full refund or "Vouchers" worth the ticket price + 10% valid for 1 year which ended up getting extended to 2 years.

I know because my UK flights got cancelled due to Covid & it was 2 years before I could use them + am due to fly to the UK in 3 weeks so am watching this situation very carefully, the fact that they're rebooking people for 2 weeks time is giving me some hope that flights will be available by then.

I'm still waiting for my flight cancellation refund due to COVID.

Just now, Kinnock said:

I'm still waiting for my flight cancellations due to COVID.

Wow, who were you supposed to be flying with & who did you book through?

As I said, I booked directly with Qatar and had an email from them as soon as the lockdowns started as I was travelling in the March 2020, they offered me the option of a full refund or Vouchers for the cost +10%.

I took the vouchers thinking I'd be able to use them later that year but it took me until May 2022 (you had to book before expiry not fly) to be able to use them.

1 hour ago, Front Row said:

How sad. His vacation has been postponed due to a global conflict. Probably the first time anyone has ever been inconvenienced by some outside force. Consider the alternatives.

But his Noi is the best one. He misses her a lot!

8 minutes ago, SamSpade said:

Wow, who were you supposed to be flying with & who did you book through?

As I said, I booked directly with Qatar and had an email from them as soon as the lockdowns started as I was travelling in the March 2020, they offered me the option of a full refund or Vouchers for the cost +10%.

I took the vouchers thinking I'd be able to use them later that year but it took me until May 2022 (you had to book before expiry not fly) to be able to use them.

It was only an Air Asia flight, so not a big loss. They sent several emails about possible lengthy delays due to volume of COVID cancellations, but never paid. There's been many complaints on Thai websites as they did not give any refunds.

2 hours ago, arick said:

Maybe he should have flowing on lift tanza or Swiss air.

That's a truly remarkable academic statement!🤣

Any direct flights do the trick.🛫

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8 hours ago, geisha said:

He will get his new future flight with no loss of money from his booked company.

This was exactly the category error after the tsunami, when many people who booked hotels with our company asked for refunds -- only, as it was high season, the hotels had already been paid and especially in the case of Phi Phi Island simply did not exist any more (I personally do not know what happened with this money from their end, but TiT).

Many people did not understand, that also the Thai government would not step in and pay some recompense -- even though many customers argued that they "had donated money for the tsunami cleanup".

The number of customers who did get anything back was the tiniest percentage (in the best case a coupon for a discount on future bookings within a year), not because we did not have goodwill, but simply because we as an agent simply did not have the cash reserve.

I assume, big airlines might have a size and cashflow advantage, but many people do not book directly, but with some travel agent. They will be out on the street alone with this.

13 hours ago, jts-khorat said:

War means "higher force", just as Covid did.

No insurance will pay for this. His best bet is that the airline shows some goodwill, but there is no legal requirement for them to do so.

Doesn't this depend on your ticket? If you book a refundable flight wouldn't you be able to get a refund.

If you booked a flight that allows rescheduling, I assume you would be able to fly on a later date.

While it must be disappointing for him to not be able to come to Thailand, there are worse things in the world that are going on. I would much rather be in his position than be a moderate Iranian right now trying to avoid getting bombed to death.

1 minute ago, spidermike007 said:

While it must be disappointing for him to not be able to come to Thailand, there are worse things in the world that are going on. I would much rather be in his position than be a moderate Iranian right now trying to avoid getting bombed to death.

Of course, some poeple save a whole year for their one little holiday in the year; so for him, it might be a considerable financial hit that will takes months to recover from.

But you are right, this is infinitely better than getting bombed to pieces by an aggressive terrorist regime acting against any international law, bombing and killing people based on their religion (yes, I am talking about the USA).

28 minutes ago, thecyclist said:

Doesn't this depend on your ticket? If you book a refundable flight wouldn't you be able to get a refund.

If you booked a flight that allows rescheduling, I assume you would be able to fly on a later date.

Yes. I fly with Qatar and always pays a little bit extra for rescheduling. If i cannot fly beacause their planes are grounded, i dont understand how they could say that I cannot use the ticket. But, of course, always better to book direct with the company...

5 hours ago, SamSpade said:

Wow, who were you supposed to be flying with & who did you book through?

As I said, I booked directly with Qatar and had an email from them as soon as the lockdowns started as I was travelling in the March 2020, they offered me the option of a full refund or Vouchers for the cost +10%.

I took the vouchers thinking I'd be able to use them later that year but it took me until May 2022 (you had to book before expiry not fly) to be able to use them.

I never got a refund from Turkish airlines.

2 minutes ago, wensiensheng said:

I never got a refund from Turkish airlines.

If that happened to me my credit card company would normally refund me (I'd actually booked my Qatar flights for me & a mate on my Thai debit card so thankfully Qatar played ball)!

Lots of horror stories about Turkish Air behaviour during Covid, I don't think I'd book with them again without some kind of backup if things go South... Maybe this might of help if you're still trying to claim some money from them...

https://lawhive.co.uk/knowledge-hub/flight-refund/get-a-cancelled-flight-refund-from-turkish-airlines-during-covid

Edit: My current flights are booked on my UK Barclays credit card, unfortunately I've cancelled this to move to a different card (Barclays Rewards Card, much better when using outside of the UK) but they've assured me that if anything happens with a payment on the original card I'll be ok to chalange / get a refund with the new one.

I'm in a similar - but opposite situation: I have a flight with Qatar Airways for next week to the US. If my flight is canceled, which I expect it to be, I expect to get a full refund - but only for my Qatar Airways flights to and from the US via Doha. However, I have also booked and paid for seven other flights within the trip, throughout Central and South America and the US - that WON'T be refundable because they haven't been canceled. So that's $2,000 down the drain for those seven regional flights.

I had a look at my travel insurance policy last night, and it specifically excludes compensation for flight cancellations due to airspace being closed. I would have thought that that's exactly what the insurance SHOULD cover. Live and learn.

I should find out within the next two or three days whether I will be able to fly or not, but it doesn't look good, as Secretary of War Hegseth just announced, "This campaign is just getting started."

17 minutes ago, BangkokHank said:

I'm in a similar - but opposite situation: I have a flight with Qatar Airways for next week to the US. If my flight is canceled, which I expect it to be, I expect to get a full refund - but only for my Qatar Airways flights to and from the US via Doha. However, I have also booked and paid for seven other flights within the trip, throughout Central and South America and the US - that WON'T be refundable because they haven't been canceled. So that's $2,000 down the drain for those seven regional flights.

I had a look at my travel insurance policy last night, and it specifically excludes compensation for flight cancellations due to airspace being closed. I would have thought that that's exactly what the insurance SHOULD cover. Live and learn.

I should find out within the next two or three days whether I will be able to fly or not, but it doesn't look good, as Secretary of War Hegseth just announced, "This campaign is just getting started."

Any chance your Credit Card company will refund?

8 minutes ago, SamSpade said:

Any chance your Credit Card company will refund?

Hm. Good question. I hadn't thought about that. I will look into it. Thanks.

Here's what AI had to say about my situation - in case someone else might have a similar experience:

You can almost certainly get a full refund from Qatar for the canceled Thailand–US ticket itself, but getting your Visa card to cover the seven separate intra‑Americas flights is possible only in some fairly narrow situations.

1. What you can expect from Qatar Airways

• If Qatar cancels your flight or makes a major schedule change and you choose not to travel, airlines are required to refund you in cash or to the original form of payment (not just a voucher). This applies to credit card purchases and must be processed within set timelines (often 7 business days back to your card).

• Separately from the refund, you may (depending on origin, routing, and applicable regulations like EU/UK rules) also be entitled to cash compensation in some cases, but that is about the canceled Qatar segment only, not your other tickets.

2. Your other seven flights: two possible avenues

These other flights are a separate legal contract with other airlines, so they normally do not have to refund you just because your Qatar flight was canceled.

There are only two realistic ways you might recover those costs:

1. From the airlines themselves (fare rules / goodwill):

   • If any of those intra‑Americas tickets are flexible, refundable, or allow changes for a fee, you might at least get a partial refund, credit, or free change under the fare rules.

   • In irregular‑operations situations, some airlines will sometimes offer a voucher or change fee waiver even if they are not strictly required to, but this is discretionary and not something you can rely on.

2. Through Visa benefits (trip cancellation/interruption “travel insurance”):

   • Many mid‑ to high‑tier Visa cards include trip cancellation/interruption coverage when you pay for the trip with that card, which can reimburse non‑refundable, prepaid travel expenses you can’t use because of a covered reason.

   • Covered reasons usually include serious illness/injury, death in the family, certain severe weather, or sometimes strikes, terrorism, or other events; the exact list is defined in your card’s benefit guide.

   • Some policies also treat a carrier’s cancellation or long delay as a covered reason, which can include knock‑on costs like non‑refundable connecting flights, hotels, or tours that you can no longer use.

So: there is precedent, but it depends entirely on whether your specific Visa card has this kind of travel insurance and whether a Qatar cancellation for your first leg counts as a covered reason under that policy.

3. How card “disputes/chargebacks” fit in

• A standard credit‑card dispute generally works only when the merchant did not provide the service purchased.

• Your seven intra‑Americas airlines are still operating those flights as booked, so from the card network’s perspective the merchants are honoring their side of the contract; you simply can’t get there. That usually does not qualify for a straightforward dispute/chargeback.

• Therefore, the likely route is insurance-style benefits, not a bare card dispute, unless one of those flights is canceled/changed in a way that triggers its own refund rights.

4. What to do next (step‑by‑step)

To give you practical value, here’s what I’d do in your position, in order:

1. Confirm Qatar’s handling of the long‑haul ticket.

   • If they cancel or significantly change it and you decide not to travel, ask for a full refund to your card (do not accept a voucher unless you prefer that).

2. Pull up your Visa card’s “Guide to Benefits.”

   • Look specifically for “Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance” or similarly named coverage.

   • Check:

     • Is a carrier’s cancellation of a key flight a covered reason?

     • Are separately ticketed onward flights considered covered “prepaid travel costs”?

     • Maximum coverage amount per trip and per covered person.

3. Call the card benefits administrator (not just the bank’s front‑line customer service).

   • Explain that your initial Qatar flight will be canceled, you will thus be unable to take seven non‑refundable onward flights, and ask:

     • “Is this treated as a covered trip cancellation/interruption event?”

     • “Are my intra‑Americas tickets, paid with this card, reimbursable as non‑refundable expenses?”

   • Ask them what documentation they will want (likely: Qatar cancellation notice, proof of refunds/credits from Qatar, itineraries and receipts for all the other flights, and proof they are non‑refundable).

4. Contact each intra‑Americas airline.

   • Ask if they can:

     • Convert your tickets to open tickets or vouchers.

     • Waive change fees to rebook for later dates.

   • Even if you later claim on card insurance, insurers usually want to see that you attempted to recover costs from the airlines first.

5. Document everything.

   • Save emails, app screenshots, and receipts for each airline’s response and for the Qatar cancellation. This is crucial if you file an insurance claim.

5. Clarifying questions

To give you more tailored expectations (rather than general theory), it would help to know:

1. Which Visa card (exact product) did you use to pay for:

   • The Qatar ticket

   • The seven intra‑Americas flights

2. Were all segments (Qatar + intra‑Americas) bought:

   • On one ticket/PNR through a single agency/website, or

   • Completely separate tickets you pieced together?

3. Are any of your intra‑Americas tickets explicitly refundable or changeable in the confirmation emails?

If you share those details (no personal data, just card type and how you booked), I can give a much more precise “likely / unlikely” assessment for your particular situation.

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Poor baby. Hey dude, there are families in South Sudan that are waking wondering if today is their last day on the planet.

You will do just fine. Go to Zambia or some other vacation spot and relax.

I rarely ever say this, but really - this is a story! You have to be full of a sense of importance to take multiple pictures of yourself at your house and whine about your canceled vacation when people in the Middle East are stuck in airports that might get bombed trying to find a way to safety or are hunkering down in buildings or underground tunnelsto avoid drone attacks. But, the real victim of this tragedy is poor old you who missed your vacation in the sun!

3 hours ago, Issan girl said:

I rarely ever say this, but really - this is a story! You have to be full of a sense of importance to take multiple pictures of yourself at your house and whine about your canceled vacation when people in the Middle East are stuck in airports that might get bombed trying to find a way to safety or are hunkering down in buildings or underground tunnelsto avoid drone attacks. But, the real victim of this tragedy is poor old you who missed your vacation in the sun!

So, the interesting question is then: why are those poeple stuck in those airports?

This was an illegal, fully imperialist attack on a third nation: totally preventable, if the same guy would not have broken the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

My assumption would be, that you would, following your logic, ask for the United States government to reimburse people for their preventable losses and hardships endured; and for those who wrote similar comments to yours and are actually American, to chip in with their own funds (as they are collectively responsible for their government -- same as the Iranian civilians dying right now, it seems).

I am waiting with bated breath hearing how some American paid for this guys airfare and hotel...

5 hours ago, Issan girl said:

I rarely ever say this, but really - this is a story! You have to be full of a sense of importance to take multiple pictures of yourself at your house and whine about your canceled vacation when people in the Middle East are stuck in airports that might get bombed trying to find a way to safety or are hunkering down in buildings or underground tunnelsto avoid drone attacks. But, the real victim of this tragedy is poor old you who missed your vacation in the sun!

Specially when you are 68 and most probably retired and when you can take your vacation when you want It. In march or may or july what is the difference ?

On 3/4/2026 at 8:23 AM, impulse said:

Not so easy to find nowadays with Russkie airspace also closed to most European flights.

blowback from the war and who blames them?

12 minutes ago, Chalong circle said:

Specially when you are 68 and most probably retired and when you can take your vacation when you want It. In march or may or july what is the difference ?

Just go to Vietnam instead. March in Thailand sucks anyways unless maybe in the deep south.

There are multiple alternative travel options from Europe. Air India, Condor, Lufthansa, Oman, Thai, EVA, Air France, KLM, China Airlines, Finnair and many others are still flying. Even Turkish Airlines has kept its schedule. Frankfurt is a major hub and is one of the easiest places to travel to Thailand from.