00:01Many Australians who have spent months and in some cases years planning their European summer holidays are now facing a
00:09lot of uncertainty.
00:11The Middle East forms one of the most direct flight corridors between Australia and Europe.
00:16So when Gulf countries closed their airspace last week, that major aviation pathway effectively disappeared.
00:23Airlines have been forced to reroute flights around the region, which means longer journeys, higher fuel costs and fewer available
00:32seats.
00:32And that's starting to ripple through travel plans for Australians heading overseas.
00:37For some travellers, it's already having a real impact.
00:41We're hearing from Australians who are cancelling trips outright, while others are paying thousands of dollars to try to keep
00:49their holidays alive by booking alternative flights through different parts of the world.
00:54One of the most popular options right now is flying through Asia, particularly Singapore and Hong Kong, because those routes
01:02allow airlines to avoid Middle Eastern airspace altogether.
01:05Some travellers are even considering flying via North America to reach Europe.
01:10The Australian Travel Industry Association says travel agents haven't yet seen widespread cancellation of bookings, but there is certainly growing
01:21anxiety among travellers about whether their trips will go ahead.
01:26The key message from the industry right now is don't panic cancel your flights.
01:31Experts say if travellers cancel their bookings themselves, they may lose important rights to refunds or refund booking options.
01:40Many of the Middle Eastern carriers have extended their refunds and rebooking options.
01:46More than 27,000 flights globally have been cancelled since the war began.
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