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Travel agent's fears as thousands stranded in Middle East

Claire ThomsonBBC Scotland
Linda Hill Miller Linda Hill Miller, a woman with blonde, shoulder length hair. She is wearing a black top with a blue blazer and holds a phone to her ear. In the background there are travel brochures for different countries on shelves.Linda Hill Miller
Linda Hill Miller has worked in the travel industry for more than 40 years

A Scottish travel agent has said she is "worried and unable to sleep" as thousands remain stranded in the Middle East due to the US-Israel war with Iran.

There are an estimated 300,000 British citizens in Gulf countries - including residents, holidaymakers, and those in transit - with many stuck as much of the region's air space remains closed.

It comes after Iran retaliated to US and Israeli strikes by conducting aerial attacks on sites across the region - including in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

Linda Hill Miller, who owns LAH Travel in West Kilbride, said the situation was difficult and many of her customers have been unable to travel home.

Airlines began to suspend flights from the region after the US and Israel launched initial strikes against Iran on Saturday.

Long-haul travel remains heavily affected in the region as the conflict continues, with airline passengers being urged to check the status of their flights before heading to the airport.

"It's a very challenging and complicated situation because each individual case and booking is so different," Hill Miller told the Radio Scotland Breakfast programme.

"Some are flight-only, others are package bookings, so we have been looking at what the obligations are and how much will be covered by insurance.

"Unfortunately not much is covered by insurance at the moment because some insurance companies have not said it is a 'war' yet."

An Emirates airline plane at Glasgow Airport. It is predominantly white with a blue design on the body and red, green and black flag on the tail.
Flights to Dubai from Glasgow have been cancelled

She said her firm have also had to look at alternate routes to the UK from countries such as Australia and New Zealand, as many of those flights would typically go through the Middle East.

"I'm not sleeping and constantly checking the news to try to get a handle on everything," she said.

"We're having to use different airlines, which often means the rights are completely different because many of them are not EU based.

"My head is absolutely pickled."

Cancelled flights

A limited number of flights have been able to leave the United Arab Emirates, with more than 4,000 flights a day having been cancelled across the region, according to flight tracking service Flightradar24.

Hill Miller, who has worked in the travel industry for more than 40 years, said: "The industry is so resilient but this is really tough.

"Our number one priority is to make sure our customers are safe but the financial implications for us, as a small business, are very worrying.

"Dubai is one of our biggest destinations and we've heard it is still a safe destination, but people are just unable to get there."

The first flight from Dubai since conflict broke out at the weekend arrived back into Manchester on Tuesday afternoon.

A flight from Edinburgh to Dubai is scheduled for Wednesday evening but an earlier flight to Doha has been cancelled.

Emirates' Dubai service from Glasgow Airport remains disrupted.

A chartered plane for UK nationals is due to leave Muscat in Oman on Wednesday evening, with the most vulnerable prioritised for a seat.