In light of the closure of airspace in most countries in the region as a result of the current conditions, Middle East Airlines has taken exceptional measures that include operating additional flights, postponing some other flights, and canceling a number of destinations, in addition to amending its no-show policy.
The company reported operating an additional special flight on Wednesday, March 4, on the Dubai-Beirut route, under the number “ME1429.” This flight is scheduled to take off from Dubai at 1:30 UAE time, with return available free of charge for passengers whose reservations have previously been cancelled.
The company also announced the operation of an additional flight to and from Istanbul on March 3, and three additional flights on March 4, with a detailed schedule published in the local time for each city. In addition, it was decided to operate an additional flight to and from Yerevan on Wednesday, March 4, under the number “ME275/276”. The flight will depart from Rafic Hariri International Airport – Beirut at 09:00 in the morning, and from Yerevan at 14:10 in the afternoon.
Regarding postponements, the company decided to postpone the return flights from Larnaca – Beirut (“ME262”) scheduled for March 3 and 4 to March 4 and 5, respectively, at 08:00 AM Cyprus time. The return flights from Jeddah – Beirut (“ME369”) scheduled for March 3 and 4 have also been postponed to the following two days at 09:40 AM Saudi time.
The changes also included changing the timings of flights to Riyadh and Amman, in addition to canceling the evening flight to Amman on March 4, and canceling all scheduled flights to Doha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Baghdad, and Kuwait on March 4, according to a detailed schedule published by the company. She confirmed that the rest of the flights scheduled for that day will remain on schedule.
In a separate context, the company announced an amendment to its “no-show policy,” after recording cases of double bookings and absences without prior cancellation, which led to seats being withheld from other passengers. The company has set a “no-show fee” at $300 for economy class and $500 for business class, while reserving the right to cancel the entire travel ticket in the event of no-show.
The company also approved a “flexibility policy for tickets” that allows free rebooking once within a week from the date of the trip, or refunding the value of unused tickets without fees.
The company called on travelers and travel agents to commit to canceling unused reservations within the specified deadlines, noting the possibility of communicating with the call center via the announced numbers or the official website.
