2 Seattle women stranded in Dubai amid Iran conflict return home
Seattle family stranded in Dubai for 6 days amid Iran conflict
A Seattle family is back home after being stranded in Dubai for six days when escalating airstrikes in Iran led to airspace closures and widespread flight cancellations. The travelers describe hearing explosions, receiving missile alerts and struggling to reach airlines or consulates before eventually rerouting through Taiwan and Europe to return home.
SEATTLE - A family is back home in Seattle, after they were stranded in the United Arab Emirates for six days. Their trip was unexpectedly extended, as the conflict in Iran continues escalating.
Francesca Braddock and her family heard and saw missiles overhead and plumes of smoke filling the air outside their hotel window in Dubai.
"Ethan, my older son, is like, mom, like, do you see all that smoke over there?" Braddock said. "[I was like] oh my gosh, what is happening?"
The backstory:
She was on vacation with her boyfriend and her two sons, when they got stranded in Dubai. "It was horrifying," Braddock said.
Seattle family posing for a group photo. They were stuck in Dubai when war broke out. Another Seattleite was in a similar situation when the missiles started coming down.
They were scheduled to return to Seattle on Feb. 28, but when the airstrikes began in Iran, that forced the country’s airspace to close leaving Braddock caught in the war zone.
"You can hear these pops and bangs going on in the distance, and they'll ask ‘what is that?,’ and you’re like it’s the A/C, it's the A/C, and trying to reach someone, and no one is reachable," Braddock said.
She tried calling the airlines and couldn’t get through, tried calling the consulate and couldn’t get through. All while getting alerts that said, ‘seek immediate shelter because of potential missile threats.’
What they're saying:
"You're seeing the Dubai airport get hit by a drone," Braddock said. "You are seeing your family freaking out, and obviously you’re freaking out."
Dubai airport during Iran conflict
Eventually, they got on a flight to Taiwan and from there made it back to Seattle. "It was just such a breath of fresh air," Braddock said.
Tess Arnold was on a flight from Nairobi and had a five-hour layover in Dubai. That layover turned into four days.
"It was, you know, scary. I feel like I was on edge most of the time," Arnold said. She took these photos from the airport of people packed in closely together, and every flight was canceled.
Fortunately, she got on a flight to London and was able to make it back to Seattle. "It was a huge relief," Arnold said.
The experience has had a lasting impact on her. "I travel quite a bit, and I’ve even, you know, told my family like, I think I’m done traveling for the year, at least on a plane," Arnold said.
Before the airstrikes started, Braddock said her family had a picture-perfect trip. They were sightseeing and riding camels, but now, she told FOX 13, she doesn’t know if they’ll ever go back to the Middle East.
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