Even if you're not going there, the Iran war will affect your flight

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According to a USA TODAY analysis of aviation data from Flightradar24, a private flight-tracking company, the number of passenger flights operating in the region plunged from more than 13,000 on Feb. 28 to roughly 800 on March 1 (UTC time).

Stranded passengers wait near Emirates Airways customer service office at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport after flights to Doha, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi were cancelled following strikes on Iran launched by the United States and Israel.

As the conflict continues to expand across the Middle East, travelers with tickets to visit or connect through the region may face serious disruptions to their plans.

“Right now, anyone connecting through major hubs like Dubai, Doha, or Abu Dhabi should assume continued disruption," Suzanne Morrow, CEO of InsureMyTrip, told USA TODAY in an email.

Dubai International Airport, one of the world's busiest international airports, saw the steepest drop in its flight operations. More than 1,500 passenger flights operated there on Feb. 26, falling to zero on March 1, according to Flightradar24 data. Doha’s Hamad International Airport also had zero flights on March 1, down from around 800 on Feb. 26.

Before heading to the airport, Morrow suggested checking your flight status with the airline and its rebooking policies. The State Department is asking travelers to sign up for its STEP program for real-time alerts. If you have travel insurance, Morrow said to review it for delay benefits and keep all receipts for documentation.

The Iran war is the latest example of how geopolitics can affect travel plans, even for passengers who aren't visiting the area where a conflict is occurring.

U.S. flights in the Caribbean were disrupted earlier this year as the Trump administration prepared and executed its capture of Venezuela’s then-leader Nicolás Maduro.

Meanwhile, flights from the United States to many Asian destinations continue to be rerouted as the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine has led to the closure of Russian airspace to U.S. and other Western airlines.

Global events can affect flights, but travelers can do some groundwork to prepare for those disruptions before they head to the airport.

How do global crises affect travel?

Although U.S. airlines don’t often fly to war zones, America’s foreign policy still affects travelers.

With the ongoing closure of Russian airspace to Western airlines, many flights to Asia take longer from U.S. destinations now, as carriers have to fly more circuitous routes, rather than going directly over the Arctic.

This can lead to higher ticket prices and less convenient itineraries for travelers.

"That element has a significant financial cost for the airline and a significant burden on the passengers as well, but everything is for the safety of the passengers," Bijan Vasigh, professor of air transportation at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, told USA TODAY.

There’s good reason for caution. There have been numerous incidents in history when flights wound up over conflict zones and paid the price. In 2014, for example, Malaysia Airlines flight 17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down, apparently by Russian-backed rebels, over Donetsk, Ukraine.

Those are extreme examples, but in an industry that prioritizes safety, it highlights why airlines and aviation regulators go out of their way to make sure planes are flying in secure airspace.

How often do geopolitical events change flight routes?

It’s more common than travelers might think.

In addition to the Russian airspace closure, airlines are constantly analyzing the global threat landscape to make sure their flights can operate safely. As the war with Iran began over the weekend, many airlines diverted flights to airports away from the violence.

Mark Dombroff, cochair of the aviation practice at law firm Fox Rothschild, said that the Federal Aviation Administration's order of priority for flight operations is "safe, orderly and expeditious."

"You could say the expeditious movement of air traffic is the lowest of the three priorities, but you want to have it safe and orderly to have it expeditious," Dombroff said, noting that safety must always be the top priority for aviation regulators and airlines.

During the Israel-Hamas war, for example, U.S. airlines temporarily suspended service to Tel Aviv.

Similarly, when conflicts erupt unexpectedly, many flights wind up being diverted to avoid danger on the ground.

"Airlines are obligated to follow the order of air traffic controllers," Vasigh said.

When conflict leads to more prolonged airspace or airport closures, governments sometimes run evacuation flights to rescue stranded citizens.

"If governments open repatriation routes, travelers should register immediately with their nearest embassy or consulate and monitor official channels closely," Morrow said. "Travel Insurance doesn't arrange government evacuations, but there are 24/7 emergency assistance services that may be able to help travelers understand their options and offer other helpful assistance during this situation."

Are certain regions becoming permanently harder or more expensive to reach?

There’s no such thing as permanence in the sky. Without physical barriers, it’s regulations and orders that prevent airplanes from flying through certain airspace, and those can change at any time – no construction needed.

While the Ukraine-Russia conflict continues, for example, U.S. airlines likely won’t be able to overfly Russian airspace. However, the airspace is likely to reopen as soon as there’s a resolution.

Similarly, U.S. airlines are prohibited from overflying certain parts of the Middle East, but that, too, could change if the situation on the ground in Iran, for example, changes.

"The airline industry is able to adapt pretty quickly in my experience," Dombroff said.

Particularly when airspace reopens, airlines can move quickly to take advantage of more efficient routes.

Do passengers have rights when a flight is disrupted by politics?

Airlines typically aren’t required to compensate or reaccommodate passengers when something like a global conflict affects their travel plans – but that doesn’t mean they don’t.

"Generally, we call that force majeure, airlines are not obligated to compensate the passengers, but I haven’t seen the airlines not provide an alternative," Vasigh said.

Conflicts are treated like other causes of flight cancellations or delays by regulators for compensation purposes.

"Travelers whose flights are significantly delayed or cancelled by geopolitical events are entitled to an automatic refund from their airline, according to rules passed by the Department of Transportation in October 2024," Chrissy Valdez, senior director of operations at travel insurance company Squaremouth, told USA TODAY in an email. She added that in order to qualify for the refund, travelers must decline alternative flight arrangements if the airline offers them.

When a conflict or other airspace restriction comes into play, travelers are best served by looking out for notices from or getting in touch with their airline for alternatives.

Valdez added that most travel insurance policies won’t cover trip disruptions or cancellations due to geopolitical conflict, but said that add-ons like "cancel for any reason" or "interruption for any reason" packages can help.

"These benefits offer the most possible protection when it comes to canceling or interrupting travel plans," she said, adding that these add-ons usually have a time limit on when you can purchase them. "If geopolitical events are a concern, you should buy travel insurance as soon as possible after booking your trip."

Contributing: Nathan Diller, USA TODAY

Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York and you can reach him at [email protected].