The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has led to significant travel disruption, creating fertile ground for both genuine airline policy adjustments and opportunistic scams. Travelers seeking information or assistance regarding delayed or cancelled flights due to the crisis are advised to exercise extreme caution when engaging with social media accounts purporting to represent airlines.

Fraudsters are actively exploiting the uncertainty caused by the Iran war and the Middle East crisis by setting up fake airline social media accounts. These deceptive profiles, often mirroring legitimate airline branding with logos and names like "support team" or "guest services care," target passengers seeking help. A common scenario involves a traveler posting a question about a delayed flight, receiving a reply from a fake account offering assistance, and then being asked to send a direct message with personal details like a phone number. The scam escalates when the fraudster, claiming to process compensation or a refund, sends a link to a money transfer app and instructs the victim to use their digital wallet to "accept" the funds. Instead of receiving money, victims' accounts are debited.

Santander UK's head of fraud risk management, Chris Ainsley, highlighted this trend, stating that criminals are quick to exploit uncertainty. Customers have reported being caught out by fraudsters after their flights were cancelled or delayed, with fake accounts impersonating carriers such as Qatar Airways, Etihad, and Emirates on platforms like X (formerly Twitter). Ainsley warned against links supposedly for refunds that instead charge people's accounts.

To protect against these scams, it is crucial to verify the authenticity of social media accounts. Travelers should only rely on accounts found directly through the airline’s official website or other legitimate sources. Red flags include accounts with very low follower numbers, often single digits. Airlines, including Etihad, explicitly warn against sharing sensitive information like passwords, one-time codes, or payment details through social media messages. Ainsley further advises consulting official airline websites or the Foreign Office website for updates.

In response to the continued travel uncertainty in the region, Emirates has issued an update on its rebooking policy for passengers with flights booked in the coming weeks. For flights with an original departure date within the next 72 hours, passengers can amend bookings and rebook online via emirat.es/managebooking or through the Emirates app. If rebooking is desired earlier than 72 hours before departure, customers are directed to emirat.es/support or to send a direct message to Emirates support on X.

Emirates confirms it is operating a reduced flight schedule and continuously monitoring the situation. Passengers with disrupted flights between February 28 and March 31 may be rebooked on the next available flight, with options to modify this through "Manage Your Booking" or by contacting their travel agent. The airline also allows changes to bookings, even if not disrupted, for travel on or before April 30. Such changes can be made online if within 72 hours of the original travel date; otherwise, direct contact with Emirates or the travel agent is required.

Travelers making changes are reminded to update any associated services, including seat selection, dietary meals, and Chauffeur-drive details, within "Manage Your Booking" for their new flight. Refunds can be requested by completing an online form or contacting the travel agent. A critical advisory from Emirates for those with connecting flights in Dubai: if any flight in the journey is cancelled, passengers should not proceed to the airport at their point of origin, but rather rebook their flights beforehand to avoid being denied boarding.