On Mideast Travel Chaos, 'There's No Way to Sugarcoat This'

Travelers stuck in the Gulf region due to Iran-related airspace closures due to US-Israel attacks are getting an unusual perk: free hotel rooms and meals, courtesy of the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. Authorities in both countries have told hotels to keep stranded guests on past their checkout dates, with governments picking up the tab until commercial flights resume, reports Euronews. Abu Dhabi's tourism department said it will cover the added nights, while Dubai's tourism office urged hotels to "support affected guests by facilitating extensions to stays under existing booking conditions."

About 20,000 passengers in the UAE alone have been affected as flights are canceled or rescheduled. The UAE halted commercial flights but is running limited "exceptional" services to move people out. The Emirates and Etihad airlines say they're contacting customers directly, warning some to not even bother coming to the airport. Qatar has fully paused operations at Doha's Hamad International Airport and will give its next update on Friday. The disruption stretches beyond those two hubs: Kuwait's airspace is closed after a drone strike damaged the main terminal at Kuwait International Airport; Oman Air has canceled several regional routes until Saturday; and Saudia has suspended a slate of flights to regional cities and Moscow until midnight on Wednesday.

"We're in the hotel room, we are not leaving it ... until we know we have a flight out of here," a Pittsburgh native who's stuck in the region with her husband after a visit to Abu Dhabi and Dubai tells PBS. "I'm sure everyone else is in the same situation." "There's no way to sugarcoat this," warns airline industry analyst Henry Harteveldt. "You should prepare for delays or cancellations for the next few days as these attacks evolve and hopefully end." In a social media post on Tuesday, US President Trump said he'd be arranging for free charter flights for Americans stuck in the region, provided they've registered with the State Department, per the New York Times. CNN has more on how the chaos in the Middle East could affect your own travel plans.