Holiday booking disrupted due to conflict in the Middle East? Full help with cancellations, jet fuel surcharges and more

At the end of February, the United States and Israel launched an attack on Iran, sparking a wide-scale conflict across the Middle East. Thousands of flights have been cancelled, and travel to, from and through the Middle East has been heavily disrupted.

On top of this, the executive director of the International Energy Agency warned in April that Europe had "maybe six weeks or so of jet fuel left". And Lufthansa announced that it was axing 20,000 "unprofitable" short-haul flights due to concerns about fuel costs.

Here's all you need to know now...

In this guide:

The latest travel guidance

• Travel to much of the Middle East is still advised against

• Concerns raised about flight cancellations due to possible jet fuel shortages

• Not booked? Do it sooner as prices may rise

• Already booked? You're unlikely to be charged more

• Watch. Want to protect your trip? Martin Lewis explains that your options are limited

• DON'T rush to cancel travel plans yourself

Your general rights if your trip is disrupted

• Flight delayed or cancelled? Your rights at a glance

• UK- or EU-regulated flight cancelled? You're entitled to an alternative or refund

• UK- or EU-regulated flight? Your airline must help during any disruption

• Extra flight compensation is unlikely, but possible

• Flight not covered by UK/EU regulations? Contact your airline

• Extra costs such as hotels and airport parking are trickier to reclaim

• Booked a package holiday? You've extra rights

Additional avenues to try if you're struggling to get your money back

• Try your credit card or debit card provider

The latest travel guidance

Travel to much of the Middle East is still advised against

As of Thursday 14 May, the UK Foreign Office (FCDO) advises against 'all travel' to places including Israel, Iran or Iraq, or 'all but essential travel' to the United Arab Emirates (Dubai) and parts of some other more common destinations. As a result:

• Major airlines including British Airways (BA), Emirates, Etihad and Qatar have been running reduced schedules since the start of the conflict, but offering extra flexibility to change or cancel bookings to, from or via the Middle East.
  
  For example, as of Thursday 14 May, BA says: "If you're booked to travel to or from Abu Dhabi, Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai, Tel Aviv, and Riyadh up to and including 31 October 2026, you can now request a full refund, even if your flight is still scheduled to operate."

• If you've got travel insurance, your policy generally won't cover you for most types of claims if there's advice against ALL travel to your destination (though it's still worth checking directly with your insurer).
  
  But your travel insurance MAY cover knock-on costs (eg, hotel bookings) of cancelling if the Foreign Office warning came after you booked.

• If you booked a package holiday, and the FCDO warning against travel to your destination came afterwards, your provider should offer you a suitable alternative. If it can't, or if the alternative would amount to a "significant" change to your holiday, you should get a full refund – even if the original trip's not been cancelled.

Concerns raised about flight cancellations due to possible jet fuel shortages

The Government has said there are currently no jet fuel shortages (see its jet fuel update page), stating: "UK airlines are clear that they are not currently seeing a shortage of jet fuel. It is typically bought in advance, with airports and their suppliers keeping stocks of bunkered fuel to support their resilience."

If the conflict continues though, some are raising concerns about the availability of jet fuel over the summer. When we asked the UK's seven biggest airlines in late April/ early May if they were planning any cancellations in response to fuel shortages Easyjet, Jet2, TUI, Virgin Atlantic and Wizz Air all said no. We're still awaiting responses from BA and Ryanair.

However, rules have been changed, so if airlines do need to cancel flights due to the crisis, they won't forfeit their take-off and landing slots. Normally, if airlines don't use at least 80% of their assigned flight times, they lose some slots to other airlines going forward. This means airlines now have more flexibility to cancel and consolidate flights.

Airlines have already announced plans to axe 120 UK flights this May, mainly to and from the Middle East. Data from analytics firm Cirium shows that these flights represent 0.53% of the UK's planned flights for the month. Commenting on the cancellations, the UK Government said: "This is within the range of the number of cancellations we would expect in a normal year, and we continue to monitor the situation."

Not booked? Do it sooner as prices may rise

Individual airlines have full control over the price of the tickets they sell. And some have increased prices for NEW BOOKINGS ONLY due to the ongoing conflict – for example:

• International Airlines Group, which owns Aer Lingus, British Airways and Iberia, has said it would hike some prices to "reflect higher fuel costs".

• Virgin Atlantic has done the same, adding £50 to economy-class return flight tickets, £180 to premium economy and £360 to business class (the surcharge is halved for single flight fares).

• TUI said "higher average prices" are expected in the second half of 2026 in order to "partially offset" higher fuel costs.

If you're planning to book:

• A package holiday gives you extra protection, as all elements of it – including the flight hotel and transfers, for example – are covered if the airline cancels, see our Cheap package holidays guide.

• If not, try for bookings with free or cheap cancellation, and be mindful that waiting may mean prices can rise further.

Already booked? You shouldn't be charged more

• Flight only booking? You're unlikely to be charged more. Airline terms and conditions must be clear and transparent and you must be warned about any potential price hikes before booking – and these can't just be hidden in the terms, according to UK aviation regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
  
  Plus, even if airlines can technically increase prices retrospectively, in reality "it's not standard practice," according to travel trade association ABTA – which can't recall any instances of this happening to flights in the past (only to package holidays).
  
  When we spoke to major airlines, BA, Easyjet, Jet2, TUI, Virgin Atlantic and Wizz Air told us in late April/ early May that they had no plans to increase prices retrospectively. We're still waiting to hear from Ryanair.

• Package holiday booking? You can be charged more. These firms CAN add up to 8% to the total price of your trip, even AFTER you've booked, so long as you're not within 20 days of departure. This is called a 'holiday surcharge', and can happen when the price of your holiday has gone up after booking due to currency fluctuations, taxes or rising fuel costs, according to ABTA.
  
  However, if the price goes up by any more than 8%, you must be given the option to cancel and receive a refund.
  
  When we spoke with major package holiday firms in late April, BA, Easyjet, Jet2, Kuoni, Loveholidays and TUI said they WON'T add a 'holiday surcharge' to existing bookings due to a fuel shortage or fuel price increases. We're waiting to hear back from On the Beach and Thomas Cook.

Watch. Want to protect your trip? Martin Lewis explains that your options are limited

Most travel insurance won't cover Middle East flight disruption, certainly not no-frills policies – they'll expect the airline to sort it out for you. So the real concern is knock-on hotel, car hire and other costs if you can't go and they're not cancellable, and again, most basic policies won't cover you. We've full details in our separate Middle East Travel Insurance news story.

You can also watch MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis address this on ITV's The Martin Lewis Travel Money Show Live on Tuesday 28 April 2026:

From The Martin Lewis Money Show Live on Tuesday 28 April 2026, courtesy of ITV. All rights reserved. Watch the full episode on ITVX.

Don't rush to cancel travel plans yourself

The Government says "there is no current need for passengers to change their travel plans". It advises passengers to continue checking with their airlines before they travel, and to check the FCDO travel advice for the latest.

If your trip has NOT been cancelled by the firm you booked with, don't make a rash decision to cancel yourself. That's because if the airline or package travel provider later cancels, you would be due a refund, so it's a bit of cat and mouse.

It's also important to note that you may lose out on future refunds for add-ons or upgrades you've purchased (such as seat upgrades or extra luggage) if you do decide to cancel yourself.

Virgin Atlantic and Wizz Air, for example, told us in March that if they cancel your flight, they will refund the cost of add-ons along with the cost of the flight. If you cancel yourself, according to their normal policies, you will NOT be refunded for any add-ons.

Your rights if your trip is disrupted – price rises, delays and cancellations

Flight delayed or cancelled? Your rights at a glance

Note: If your airline were to increase the price of your ticket after you booked, you would NOT be due the same UK261 protections if your flight was cancelled or delayed. Instead, your rights in this case would be up to the individual airline you'd booked with, industry body Airlines UK told us.

UK- or EU-regulated flight cancelled? You're entitled to an alternative (or refund)

If your flight's been cancelled by the airline, however long before it was due to take off, you have a legal right to choose between EITHER a refund for the flight that was cancelled OR an alternative flight (airlines call this re-routing) to your destination. The CAA has confirmed that these rules WILL apply if a flight is cancelled due to a jet fuel shortage.

If you choose to be re-routed, you should be offered an alternative flight at the earliest opportunity and it DOESN'T have to be with the same airline. Some have agreements with other airlines and may try to book you on one of these initially – though if this alternative is not suitable, stick to your guns and ask for a more convenient flight – see our Flight cancellations guide for more information.

DON'T just book a new flight yourself. Your airline has a responsibility to help. Booking yourself should be a last resort, if you've exhausted all possible avenues through the original airline. If you do have to do this, make sure you keep all evidence to help your eventual refund claim.

Note: If you take the refund route, that ends the airline's obligation towards you – so it may be better to insist on an alternative flight – especially if these are in short supply.

UK- or EU-regulated flight? Your airline must help during any disruption

If your flight is delayed, or it's been cancelled and you've opted to be re-routed, or you're stuck at the airport abroad, your airline is responsible for providing a so-called 'duty of care'. This includes:

• Regular updates on what's going on. You may not always be able to ask for updates at a check-in desk, but your airline should be issuing updates via its website, app and social media accounts. You should also check the email you used when booking in case you've been sent an update.

• Food and drink. Your airline should provide food and drink (or vouchers to buy them) if you're delayed for more than two hours on a short-haul flight, three hours on medium haul (for example, Manchester to Malaga) or four hours for long haul. If it's unable to, you can buy your own and claim it back, but make sure you keep receipts. Check if your airline's website has any guidance on what it'll cover.

• Accommodation (if needed). If the flight is delayed overnight you're entitled to a hotel, and the airline must also provide transport to and from it. Ideally it will arrange the hotel for you, so always check before you book somewhere.

• A 'means of communication'. In this day and age, this just means the airline's likely to reimburse you for the cost of any relevant calls you make.

Had to buy your own own food, drink, accommodation, or extra travel? Keep your receipts

As we've mentioned above, if your flight has been delayed or cancelled, your airline should be proactive in providing you with food and drink (and a place to stay overnight, if necessary). If it doesn't, you should be able to claim back any reasonable expenses when you get back.

When you contact your airline, you'll need to include:

• Receipts. To show how much you spent on food and/or a place to stay or alternative travel arrangements. Remember only reasonable expenses are covered – so it's unlikely you'd be able to claim for alcohol, for example. Check if your airline's website has any guidance on what it'll cover. If it does, you can include this information in your claim alongside your receipts.

• Proof you didn't just go for the most expensive option. If you had to book a place to stay overnight, it can be useful to include the rates of nearby hotels to demonstrate that you didn't just pick the most expensive option. It's unlikely an airline will cover the cost of a luxury hotel if there's a cheaper alternative you could've used nearby.

• Proof of delay. It can be useful to include how long your flight was delayed by – as what you get is based on how long you had to wait. Include any updates you received by text or email, or screenshots of updates posted on the airline's website or social media.

Extra flight compensation is possible, but unlikely here

For flights covered by UK or EU rules (see how to check), you can sometimes claim additional compensation of between £210 and £520 if your flight was delayed or cancelled and your airline was at fault.

Crucially, however, you CAN'T claim this extra compensation if the delay or cancellation is out of the airline's hands due to an 'extraordinary circumstance' – a term which isn't formally defined. That means technically, it's up to the courts to decide whether cancellations due to jet fuel supply issues and other Middle East conflict related issues would be considered 'extraordinary'.

Coby Benson, solicitor at law firm Bott and Co, told us: "In my opinion, rising jet fuel prices isn't extraordinary and inherent in the operation of an airline. However, lack of fuel due to the issues in Iran potentially would be."

Flight not covered by UK/EU rules? Contact your airline

If your flight to the UK departs outside the EU on a non-UK or non-EU airline, or your flight is entirely outside both the UK and the EU, then it's not covered by the UK and EU regulations.

This means your rights depend on the policies of the airline you're flying with and the rules set by its home country. The CAA suggests contacting the airline directly for further information in this case.

Extra costs such as hotels and airport parking are trickier to reclaim

If you booked your flight through a third-party travel site, in most cases you'll need to contact that firm directly for help if your trip is cancelled.

If your flight is cancelled but you've booked hotel or travel extras separately (such as car rental, accommodation, experiences), your flight being cancelled doesn't mean the hotel etc. has to cancel. If you've got flexible booking that helps.

If not, and your airline can't offer you an alternative flight, you can try claiming on your travel insurance as a last resort – though sadly, you're far from guaranteed to be covered.

Another option is to try going through your card provider, though again, if the provider is still able to offer you the service/s you've paid for, you're unlikely to have much luck.

Booked a package holiday? You've extra rights

According to travel trade association ABTA, if a travel company cancels your holiday or your flight is cancelled, it should offer you:

• An alternative holiday (when available), OR

• A refund.

Additional avenues to try if you're struggling to get your money back

Struggling to get a refund? You can try your debit or credit card provider

If your trip is cancelled but you're having difficulties getting a refund, you may be able to claim from your card firm – though this won't always work – particularly if the provider is still able to offer you the service/s you paid for (it's just that you can't get there to utilise it):

• If you paid on a credit card: Under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, if you pay for something costing more than £100 but less than £30,000 on a credit card, the card firm's equally liable if something goes wrong. See our Section 75 guide for more details. If your purchase was for £100 or less, you may still be able to get your money back via Chargeback.

• If you paid with a debit card: Under chargeback – which isn't a legal requirement, just a customer service promise – your bank will try to get your money back from the bank of the firm you purchased from. Though be aware that even if you're paid, the firm itself can sometimes dispute it with the bank and the money may later be clawed back. You typically have 120 days from purchase to submit a claim. See our Chargeback guide for full info.

Additional reporting by the Press Association.