Riyadh Flight Rush: Kiwi Couple’s 7-Hour Airport Drive

A New Zealand couple made a 420-mile (676-kilometer) car journey through the desert to secure alternative flights to Europe after their original travel plans were disrupted by conflict in the Middle East.

Unexpected Detour

Lyndon Urqhart and his wife, Gabrielle, were en route to a business conference in Germany, with a scheduled three-day layover in Doha, Qatar, when missiles began being intercepted in the area.

“That’s when it really kicked in… There was some quite loud booms,” Urqhart said.

After days of uncertainty, and with assistance from multiple drivers, the couple decided to travel by car from Doha to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, hoping to find a new flight.

Urqhart acknowledged the trip’s success was uncertain, but described it as a “wicked adventure.”

“We just talked to the people at reception. They organised some transport to get us from Doha to Riyadh.”

Upon arriving in Riyadh, Urqhart anticipated disappointment at the ticket counter.

“I expected to be ‘let down a little bit’ and ‘have to find some accommodation’,” he said.

However, when he requested a ticket “anywhere” to continue his journey, he was surprised by the availability.

“We managed to get a flight, which we’re pretty elated about, that goes to Istanbul and then through to Vienna.”

Urqhart plans to travel from Vienna to Cologne by train for his business conference, and then return to Austria for a holiday.

Refund and Conditions in Doha

Qatar Airways has assured Urqhart he will receive a refund for the unused portion of his ticket from Doha to Cologne.

He described the refund process as “quite good,” noting that while the new travel arrangements incurred a slight additional cost, they provided “an experience we wouldn’t normally get.”

Urqhart said the situation in Doha was “pretty tense” during missile strikes, but that conditions improved between attacks.

“I know this sounds a bit strange but – with the exception of the missiles going off – when they’re not going off, you feel really safe.”

“Then you’ll get a strike for like half an hour or an hour, and you get pretty tense again as the building moves and different things like that.”

“But then, when it dies down, the staff come out, everyone is really friendly… you wouldn’t even really think much is going on, but then an airstrike will start, so you don’t really get much sleep.”