That's what's happening with airlines around the world. We know that listener Gary was stranded in Doha. We know that listener m is still stranded in I say go yeah, goa. She's still stranded in Doha. Dean Long's the CEO of the Australian Travel Industry Association. Then what's happening and how long do we think it will last?
Well, the good news is we've just got a first flight landing into Kata today from Athens about five minutes ago, so it does appear the airspace is open. But for travelers today that are jumping onto flight to Doha, look, there will be disruptions. There will be some cancelations, no doubt. We do have flights mid air that we understand are being diverted to India and other countries at the moment
with Australians on that. So look, we are going to enter a period now for the next forty eight to seventy two hours where disruptions will be a common occurrence. So people need to take a breath. Importantly, probably the number one thing for your listeners is you will be contacted by your agent or your airline if there is a cancelation to rebook you or do a refund. The worst thing your listeners can do today is call up their agent or call up their airline and say, look,
I want to cancel because I'm worried about that. You canceling the flight today. The airline cancels, you're guaranteed a full cash refund. And that's the number one point people need to take home.
To that great stuff. Dan, I've been keeping an eye on Emirates flights. The five point fifteen am today e K four h nine left on time. It's left on time for the last few days. Is Dubai less problematical?
Yeah, Look, Dubai this morning had a suspension of air services as the missiles worth flying that they are open today. There has been some disruptions in terms of delays that we are finding services out of Australia. One of the great things about being a long haul destination is that there's a long way you can make up some of those delays. So we have seen Emirates flights that they leave on time, and the same can be said for
Quantas as well. Kata flights and the Virgin flight are the ones that are being potentially disrupted today.
So Dean, what are the protocols? So what of the global protocols? So let's say Tehran decides to fling some missiles, do they actually inform the commercial the commercial airline industry they're about to do it, or does the commercial airline industry have to wait for some sort of signal that comes from somewhere else.
I'm not sure of when it's missiles, but there are definitely clear proceeds in place for civil aviation about when skies are contested and making sure that they can do it safely. Nobody wants to have civilian passenger line is impacted by a war. So there is a very strong communication link between the airlines operation centers and they've all got them their world leading they're completely integrated, so there
are issues. You've got large teams on the ground feeding up to date information to the pilots to adjust courses. And really importantly, it's integrated internationally, so every flight that's in the sky knows exactly where you are and what you're doing and what your flight heating is, and that means when you're in the air, it's very very very very safe. So people can take a lot of that.
Okay, then So while it's natural to worry, what your suggesting is you don't need to look.
Not at the moment. And look, there's no doubt there is a higher level of anxiety at the moment. But look, the number one thing is don't cancel your flight just because you're anxious. Speak to your travel agent, your travel professional about what your options are, and importantly, don't contact them today. If you're worried about things. In two or three weeks, you will be contacted by your agent or airline if your flight is canceled and provided an option.
Good on your Dane, well, said Dan Long. So you have the Historian Travel Industry Association