When conflict broke out in the Middle East at the end of February, the effects on global aviation were immediate. Flight routes were disrupted, airspace was closed and travelers found themselves scrambling to understand what it meant for existing bookings and future plans.

Travel experts have been fielding questions at an extraordinary pace. Here are answers to the seven most pressing ones.

 Should you book flights now or wait for prices to drop?

Book now, says Clint Henderson, principal spokesperson for The Points Guy, a resource focused on maximizing airline points, miles and credit cards. That advice applies regardless of how far out your travel date is.

In ordinary circumstances, travel advisors recommend purchasing domestic US tickets one to two months before departure and international tickets two to three months out. Those guidelines no longer apply. Several major carriers have already flagged price increases, with United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby indicating that higher jet fuel costs would likely begin affecting ticket prices quickly. Henderson says that kind of executive-level warning is about as reliable a signal as travelers are going to get.

How much will travel costs increase overall?

The disruption is already costing the global tourism sector an estimated $600 million a day in lost international visitor spending, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council, which had projected $207 billion in regional travel spending for 2026 before the conflict began. How much of that loss translates into higher prices for travelers elsewhere is still unfolding.

A significant driver will be fuel costs. Oil prices surged above $100 a barrel in the weeks following the outbreak of fighting before easing somewhat. Airlines with fuel hedging arrangements, including Singapore Airlines and Qantas, have some protection. US carriers, which carry little to no hedging, are more exposed and more likely to pass those costs to passengers.

Longer flight routes are also adding costs. With airspace over Iran, Iraq, Bahrain and Kuwait closed and restrictions in place over Israel, the UAE and Qatar, airlines including Emirates and Qatar Airways have been rerouting flights through narrower northern corridors over Georgia and Azerbaijan or longer southern paths, burning more fuel in the process.

Where is still safe to travel and what should you avoid?

The Middle East itself is effectively off the table for most leisure and non-essential business travel. Several countries in the region, including Iran, Iraq, Israel, Syria and Yemen, currently carry the US State Department’s highest warning level of do not travel. The United Arab Emirates and Qatar are rated at Level 3, meaning reconsider travel.

Beyond the immediate conflict zone, the picture is more nuanced. Turkey has drawn concern from analysts because of its geographic proximity, and the US government issued a strong advisory on March 9 recommending Americans leave southeastern Turkey. Some travel professionals are still booking Turkey for clients in the coming months while monitoring conditions carefully, though many are routing travelers away from the region entirely for connecting flights, favoring hubs in Bangkok and Hong Kong instead.

 Is it safe to fly between Europe and Asia right now?

The Middle East has historically functioned as what aviation professionals describe as a high capacity bridge between Europe and Asia. With the central Gulf corridor now effectively closed, airlines have shifted to either northern routes through the Caucasus and Central Asia or southern paths through Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Oman.

Experts are careful to distinguish between disruption and danger. Tony Stanton, consultant director of Strategic Air in Australia, notes that major airlines operate sophisticated risk assessment systems involving specialist security teams, government intelligence and flight operations professionals. He expresses confidence in the safety of scheduled passenger services on major carriers, noting that airlines flying established rerouted paths have made carefully considered decisions rather than reactive ones.

Could you be stranded due to fuel shortages?

Unlikely, according to aviation experts, though disruptions are possible. The key distinction is that aviation fuel supply chains operate with significant advance communication between airlines and suppliers. Airlines do not arrive at airports and hope for the best. Fuel requirements are planned days in advance, and major hubs maintain substantial reserves.

If a fuel supply issue develops at a particular airport, airlines will typically know about it well before the situation becomes critical and can adjust routes, pre load additional fuel from other locations or cancel flights in advance rather than at the gate. Air New Zealand has already canceled some flights in response to fuel price changes rather than physical shortages. Stanton says travelers are unlikely to face last minute strandings specifically due to fuel, though advance cancellations tied to economics remain a real possibility.

What should you do if you already have bookings in or through the Middle East?

For imminent travel to the region, the consensus advice is to cancel. Beyond the safety concerns, traveling against active government warnings almost certainly invalidates travel insurance coverage for any losses incurred.

For travel booked later in the year, experts suggest patience before canceling. The political situation is shifting rapidly in both directions, and in some cases waiting to see whether the airline itself cancels the flight may be the more strategic move. When airlines cancel, they typically rebook passengers or offer refunds, which may be a better outcome than a voluntary cancellation.

 Will your travel insurance actually cover you?

Possibly not, and this is where many travelers will encounter an unpleasant surprise. Most standard travel insurance policies contain explicit exclusions for losses connected to military conflicts, undeclared wars and government travel warnings. Allianz Assistance, one of the world’s largest travel insurance providers, has issued coverage alerts clarifying that its standard plans generally do not cover losses resulting from war or acts of war, government travel advisories or travel against official government advice.