(IRAN) — Middle East flight schedules changed fast this week, and it matters because a “confirmed” itinerary to Dubai, Tel Aviv, or even a connection near Tehran can turn into a same-day cancellation. If you’re flying in the next few days, treat your booking like it’s on standby: recheck status, plan alternates, and protect your points.
I’ve ridden out plenty of geopolitical spikes over the years. This one has a familiar pattern: big headline, rapid airline safety reviews, then a wave of cancellations and reroutes that ripple through hubs in Europe and North America.
The good news is that most carriers will rebook you. The bad news is that the rebook can be longer, less comfortable, and worse for mileage earning.
Quick verdict: Is it “worth it” to fly right now?
If your trip is optional, I’d delay. The odds of a schedule change are simply higher than normal. If your trip is non‑negotiable, you can still travel safely. You just need to book like a pro.
Here’s the practical takeaway. The travel experience right now is less about the seat. It’s about reliability, reroute risk, and what happens when you land at 2 a.m. instead of 2 p.m.
Overview: Flight suspensions and affected destinations
Airlines are reacting to heightened U.S.–Iran tensions after President Donald Trump’s January 22, 2026 statement about a U.S. “armada” moving toward Iran. When rhetoric turns into military movement, airline risk teams move quickly.
The destinations showing up most in airline alerts are:
- Dubai (DXB)
- Tel Aviv (TLV)
- Riyadh (RUH)
- Tehran (IKA)
- Dammam (DMM)
Disruptions can vary by carrier and by day. You might see today’s flight operate, tomorrow’s cancel, then the next day return. That’s common during rolling safety reviews.
It also helps to know two terms that get mixed up:
- Destination suspension: The airline stops flying to a city at all.
- Overflight suspension: The airline avoids certain airspace. Your flight may still operate, but it takes a longer route.
Overflight bans are the quiet troublemaker. Even if “Dubai is still operating,” avoiding Iran or Iraq can add time. It can also trigger missed connections at hubs like Paris (CDG), Amsterdam (AMS), Frankfurt (FRA), London (LHR), Toronto (YYZ), and Newark (EWR).
What to check first, in order
- Your booking page in the airline app.
- Any airline travel alert for your route.
- Same-day alternate routings through different hubs.
Timeline of key actions and statements
Airline decisions usually cascade in a predictable sequence. A government statement lands. Risk teams reassess. Then operations adjusts routes, schedules, and crew plans. After that, the airline reviews everything again, often day by day.
Key dated events and developments include notable statements and carrier actions that changed airline posture and prompted rolling reviews and cancellations.
January 22, 2026: Trump referenced a U.S. “armada,” including the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group. Statements like that can change airline posture immediately. Insurers and security advisors pay attention fast.
January 23–24, 2026: A cluster of airline actions hit Dubai and Tel Aviv flying. This is where travelers feel the pain. Rebooking lines spike, and aircraft swaps become more common.
March 28, 2026: Lufthansa set this as an end date for its Tehran suspension. Treat dates like this as a planning horizon, not a promise.
When an airline says a review is “ongoing,” it usually means:
- Flight approval is happening in short windows, often 24–72 hours.
- Crew scheduling gets tighter because of duty-time limits.
- Overflight permissions can change, which can change flight time.
Regional military movements and air-defense posture can also drive NOTAMs and overflight permissions. Those can force last-minute reroutes.
⚠️ Heads Up: If you’re connecting onward from Dubai or Tel Aviv, protect the connection. Build in extra time, or choose one-stop routings with longer layovers.
Airline responses by carrier (and what it means for you)
Different airlines are taking different approaches. The traveler impact depends on whether it’s a full suspension, a reduction, a daytime-only plan, or an overflight avoidance rule.
Air France: Paris–Dubai suspensions
Air France temporarily suspended Paris–Dubai, with specific cancellations around January 23 and returns around January 24. The key risk here is the “rolling review.” Flights can be canceled, then restored, then canceled again.
What to do: If you’re on Air France to Dubai, choose flights with more same-day alternatives. Morning departures often give you more rebooking options through Europe.
Miles angle: If you get rebooked onto a partner, confirm your Flying Blue credit. Some rebooked fare classes earn less, even when the cash price was high.
KLM: multi-destination halts and broad airspace avoidance
KLM halted flights to several destinations, including Dubai, Riyadh, Dammam, and Tel Aviv. KLM also avoided airspace over several countries, including Iraq and Iran.
Even when KLM restarts a city, the airspace rule can stay. That can mean longer block times and tighter connections at AMS.
What to do: If Amsterdam is your connection point, avoid short layovers. KLM’s Europe-to-long-haul connection banks can unravel quickly when arrivals slip.
Miles angle: A reroute can change your ticketed carrier. If you’re chasing SkyTeam status, keep your boarding passes. Missing credit is more common during mass reaccommodation.
Lufthansa: Tehran suspended; daytime limits; overflight halts
Lufthansa suspended Tehran through March 28, 2026. It also limited Tel Aviv and Amman flying to daytime hours for a period. Lufthansa previously halted overflights of Iraq and Iran.
Daytime-only operations are a risk-control move. It can reduce exposure to certain threats. It also compresses schedules, which reduces flexibility.
What to do: If you must fly Lufthansa-group, pick itineraries with earlier arrivals. You want daylight buffers, not late-night single options.
Miles angle: Miles & More earning is fare-based on many partners. If your flight changes to another airline, your Points and Qualifying Points can shift.
British Airways, Air Canada, United: Tel Aviv cancellations; Dubai continuing
British Airways, Air Canada, and United canceled Tel Aviv flights through January 24. Dubai continued.
That’s the classic split right now. A destination can be “unaffected,” but the route is not. Overflight constraints can still make Dubai flights longer. That can mean different crew requirements, and sometimes different aircraft.
What to do: If you’re booked to Dubai on BA, AC, or UA, watch for schedule changes. A small departure shift can wreck a tight onward connection.
Miles angle (big one): If United rebooks you onto a partner, confirm whether your new flight earns Premier Qualifying Points the way you expect. Partner PQP rules can be less generous than United-marketed flights.
Luxair: Dubai cancellation and 24-hour postponement
Luxair canceled Dubai flights and postponed a January 24 departure by 24 hours. That sounds simple, but it matters.
A “delay” can keep the same flight number alive. A “cancellation” often triggers different refund and hotel expectations. It can also change your duty-of-care benefits, depending on your origin and ticket rules.
Seat and comfort: what changes during disruption weeks
This is where a “review” gets real. Your original aircraft and seat map may not survive first contact with irregular operations.
Common comfort hits you’ll notice:
- Aircraft swaps: You picked a newer cabin, but get an older configuration.
- Less seat choice: Rebooking can push you into middles or back rows.
- Longer flying time: Overflight avoidance can add hours to an already long sector.
If you’re choosing between cabins, I’d rank it like this right now:
- Premium economy for long-haul to Dubai. It’s the best mix of comfort and availability.
- Business class if you need same-day flexibility. It’s often easier to rebook in.
- Economy only if you can handle a longer day and a higher chance of a middle seat.
What to look for on your seat specs:
- Seat pitch: On long-haul economy, you’re usually around the low-30-inch range. Premium economy is often upper-30s.
- Seat width: Widebodies vary a lot in economy. A tight layout feels brutal on a reroute.
- Power: Prioritize in-seat power and USB. Reroutes mean longer time with your phone in hand.
If you’re flying via the U.S. to the Gulf, United’s long-haul economy experience is competitive. The comfort gap usually comes down to aircraft type and seat layout. Air Canada is similar. British Airways can be solid in premium cabins, but economy comfort varies widely by aircraft.
Food and service: expect “good enough,” not the usual polish
During disruption weeks, catering is one of the first things to wobble. Late aircraft and last-minute swaps can mean fewer special meals loaded and a different menu than advertised.
You may also see slower service if crews are managing stressed cabins. If you’re flying economy, bring your own backup snack. If you’re flying premium, eat in the lounge when you can. That way, a delayed meal service isn’t a crisis.
Service also changes. Crews are human. They may have had a reroute themselves, or a last-minute reassignment. On days like this, the best crews go into problem-solving mode, not “fine dining” mode.
Entertainment and connectivity: plan for longer routings
Longer routings make entertainment more important. Check whether you have seatback screens versus streaming-only setups, and whether Wi‑Fi is installed and dependable over oceanic segments.
Also check whether power is AC, USB, or both. My rule: download everything before you leave the ground. Don’t assume you’ll have stable Wi‑Fi if your routing changes.
Amenities: lounges, fast-track, and the small things that save a trip
When flights bunch into daytime-only windows, lounges get crowded. That’s especially true at European hubs.
If you hold elite status or a premium cabin ticket, lounge access becomes more than a perk. It’s your backup office, dining room, and customer-service desk.
Mileage tip that matters: if you rebook onto a different airline, your lounge access rules can change. A SkyTeam Elite Plus benefit does not automatically carry to a non-SkyTeam reaccommodation.
Competitive context: who’s handling this better?
European network carriers often move first, because they cross more sensitive airspace on typical routings. That’s why you’re seeing sharper changes from KLM and Lufthansa-group.
North American carriers are more likely to keep Dubai flying while pausing Tel Aviv. They can route around risk, but it can still mean longer flights.
Your “best” airline is the one with more daily frequencies on your city pair, more interline partners for reaccommodation, and a strong hub where you can be rerouted without an overnight.
Points and miles: protect your earning and your redemptions
Irregular operations can quietly wreck mileage plans.
Earning risks: rebooked fare classes that earn fewer miles; partner flights that earn less, especially on discounted economy; lost credit when ticket numbers and carriers change.
Redemption angle: award seats can disappear fast when many passengers need rebooking. If you used miles, push for options that keep your cabin intact. Don’t accept a downgrade casually.
If you get rerouted, keep screenshots of the original booking. It helps when you request mileage refunds for cabin differences.
What to watch next (safety, schedules, and advisories)
Expect more rolling updates. Airlines will keep making next-step calls based on safety reviews, insurer guidance, airspace access, and crew constraints.
Monitor airline travel alerts and schedule-change emails, airport operations updates at hubs, government travel advisories, and airspace and NOTAM changes that can trigger reroutes.
Prepare by choosing fares with flexible changes when possible, saving documentation for refunds and claims, and learning the difference between duty-of-care support and cash compensation. The rules depend on where you start and which carrier you’re on.
Resumptions can be limited. You may see reduced frequency, rerouted flights, or daytime-only operations first.
Who should book this?
Book now if:
- You must be in Dubai for work, family, or a fixed event.
- You can accept a reroute and still arrive on time.
- You can book premium economy or business for rebooking flexibility.
Hold off if:
- Your trip is discretionary and you’d be stressed by a cancellation.
- You’re connecting onward to Tehran or nearby cities that depend on fragile schedules.
- You booked a tight connection that fails if your first flight slips.
If you’re flying in the next week, pick an itinerary with at least one same-day backup option, and avoid the last flight of the night. That one detail can be the difference between arriving in Dubai tomorrow or sleeping in a terminal tonight.
Airlines Halt Dubai and Tehran Flights After Trump Warns U.S. Armada
Recent geopolitical shifts have caused significant disruptions to Middle East flight paths. Airlines like Air France, KLM, and Lufthansa are reacting to military movements by suspending routes or rerouting flights to avoid Iranian and Iraqi airspace. Travelers are advised to monitor bookings closely, anticipate longer travel times, and understand how rebooking might affect mileage earning and comfort. Flexibility and proactive monitoring are currently essential for regional travel.
