The family endured more than 34 hours in transit across four flights over three days before finally arriving in Singapore on Wednesday, reported Shin Min Daily News.
A woman walks past a flight information display system inside Changi International Airport. Photo by Anadolu via AFP |
Liu Shanglai, 66, said he, his wife and their daughter had joined an Antarctic tour organized on Feb. 14 and were scheduled to return to Singapore on March 3.
However, as the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran escalated, airports across the Middle East were closed and flights suspended.
As a result, the 26-member tour group was unable to transit through Dubai and had been stranded in Argentina since Feb. 28.
Liu said that as his daughter needed to return to work and could not postpone her trip, he and his wife decided to travel back to Singapore with her.
After learning about the situation that day, they checked the available flights and booked tickets – from Argentina to Houston in the U.S. (10 hours), then to Los Angeles on the same day (4 hours), followed by a flight from Los Angeles to Taiwan (about 15 hours), and finally from Taiwan back to Singapore (about 5 hours).
With airfares climbing rapidly, Liu said that other members of the group opted to fly to Paris instead, which he believed would likely cost them even more.
“After we booked our tickets, some members checked again and found that prices had increased by another $500 to $1,000,” he said, noting that more than half of the group were retirees, some of whom were not in a hurry to return.
Liu also expressed appreciation for the tour guide, who helped those wishing to return earlier find suitable flight routes.
“The tour guide was at the airport for the past few days, constantly checking things for us. I don’t know if he got any rest,” he said.
Air travel remains disrupted globally. Singapore Airlines and its low-cost carrier Scoot have extended cancellations on several Middle East routes, with some services suspended through March 15 as tensions linked to the Iran conflict continue to worsen.
As countries work to bring their citizens home, a limited number of outbound flights from the United Arab Emirates resumed this week, operated by long-haul carriers Etihad Airways and Emirates, based in Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively.
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