When the Skies Go Quiet —
and What You Should Do Before They Do
A UAE Air Force tanker is circling Abu Dhabi in holding loops. Eight countries have closed their airspace. Flights from India to the US — almost always routed through the Middle East — are grounded or rerouted. Here is what I have learned, sometimes the hard way, about being ready for moments like this.
This screenshot from Flightradar24 tells a story. That circular loop over Abu Dhabi is a UAE Air Force Airbus A330 MRTT — a military tanker — flying in tight holding patterns. On a day when Iran, Iraq, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan have all closed their airspace following US and Israeli strikes on Iran, this is what the sky looks like over one of the world's busiest aviation corridors.
But here is the thing — you do not need a war to get stranded. The skies have always had a way of humbling even the best-laid travel plans.
01 — ContextIt Is Not Just Wars
A cousin of mine was once traveling to India for his own wedding. His flight was delayed by dust storms over the Middle East — one of the most underestimated disruptions on that corridor — and he landed in the nick of time. Imagine that.
A personal reminder that nature doesn't send a calendar inviteAnd then there was the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland in 2010, which shut down European airspace for days and stranded hundreds of thousands of passengers with virtually no warning. Dust storms in the Gulf, monsoon weather over India, volcanic ash over Europe, geopolitical flare-ups — the India–US route runs a gauntlet every single time.
Travel with a significant time buffer. If the wedding is on Saturday, land by Wednesday. If the meeting is Monday morning, do not fly Sunday night. This single habit has saved more families than any app ever will.
02 — MoneyPrepare Their Finances Before They Leave
Add the traveler as an authorized user on your credit card so you can remotely manage limits and monitor spending if they are stranded somewhere unexpectedly. Make sure they also carry USD cash and some local currency for their layover city. ATMs at foreign airports can be unreliable or simply confusing in a crisis.
03 — TechnologyDownload the Airline App Before Leaving Home
This is one of the most important things you can do. The airline app sends real-time notifications about delays, gate changes, and rebooking options — often before the airport screens are even updated. In a mass disruption, the app also lets you rebook without standing in a queue for hours.
Make sure it is installed, logged in, and the booking reference is saved inside it before your family member ever leaves the house. Walk through it with them once so they know exactly where to find their flight status.
04 — ConnectivityHow to Get on Airport WiFi — Step by Step
This trips up a lot of people, especially those who are not very tech-savvy. Here are the verified network names for the three most common India–US layover airports, followed by a simple walkthrough:
| Airport | Network Name (SSID) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dubai (DXB) | DXB Free WiFi | Tap "Get Online Now" in browser. No password needed. |
| Doha — Hamad (DOH) | #HIAQatar | Accept terms. No password. Up to 4 hrs, reconnect after. |
| Abu Dhabi — Zayed (AUH) | Zayed International Airport Free Wifi | Follow on-screen prompts after connecting. |
Once you have the network name, here is how to connect — tell your family to follow these steps:
- Go to Settings on the phone, then tap WiFi and make sure it is switched on.
- Look through the list of networks for the airport name above. Tap it.
- A login page should pop up automatically. If it does not, open any browser and type any website address — this forces the page to appear.
- Enter your phone number or email when asked, accept the terms, and you are connected.
- Once online, WhatsApp works for free — calls and messages home cost nothing.
Practise the WiFi login with your family at home once before they travel. Walk through it on their actual phone. The difference between someone who has done it once and someone doing it for the first time while stressed and exhausted is enormous.
05 — LogisticsHave a Hotel Plan Before They Leave Home
Know which hotels are near the layover airport before departure — not after they are stuck in a queue at an information desk. Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi all have airport hotels or hotels reachable in under 15 minutes. Write the name, address and phone number on paper. Yes, paper. Phones die.
06 — RebookingAirlines Will Help — But You Have to Ask
In a major disruption, airlines are obligated to rebook passengers at no charge. But the queues at the airport counter can stretch for hours. Calling the airline's customer service number or using their app is almost always faster. Save the number in their phone and write it on paper before they travel.
07 — RoutingKnow Your Transit Rules Before You Book
My parents once had a very difficult experience when they were booked through Munich and Frankfurt on United. Both cities sounded like a reasonable European connection. What nobody flagged was that both airports sit inside the Schengen Zone — which meant the transfer was treated as a domestic European transit, not an international one. They ended up spending hours in no man's land, caught between immigration systems, until United finally rerouted them through London to get them home to Hyderabad. I still feel guilty about it. It is why I now triple-check every itinerary.
The Schengen lesson — one every India–US traveler should knowWhen booking any itinerary with a European connection, always check whether your stopover city is inside the Schengen Area. Non-EU passport holders transiting between two Schengen airports can face exactly this kind of bureaucratic limbo. When in doubt, a connection through London or Dublin — both outside Schengen — is far cleaner.
And if you are booking elderly parents on a complex routing: call the airline, do not just click through online. Ask explicitly: "Will my parents need to clear immigration at any point during this connection?" Get it confirmed.
The Bigger PictureThe Reasons Change. The Lesson Doesn't.
Today's disruption is a stark reminder that India–US travel almost always requires a stopover, and that stopover is almost always in the Middle East. With Russian and Ukrainian airspace already closed due to that conflict, there is very little redundancy left in global aviation routes.
Wars, dust storms, volcanoes, bureaucratic transit traps — the reason changes every time. The lesson stays the same. Being prepared is not pessimism.
It is just good sense.
The skies will clear. Make sure your family is ready for the wait.
