Quick Highlights:
- A British couple flying to Dubai woke up mid-flight to find their plane rerouted due to a U.S. missile strike on Iran.
- Their flight was diverted to Zurich, Switzerland, after being forced to avoid airspace over the Middle East.
- British Airways canceled several flights and confirmed safety was the top priority.
- The couple later got a full refund and are now vacationing in Tenerife instead.
Ruby Croxford and her partner Jack were dreaming of warm beaches and luxury pools when they boarded their flight to Dubai. The couple, both from Hampshire in the U.K., had booked a 10-night getaway to unwind in the sunny United Arab Emirates.
“We were going to Dukes The Palm in Dubai,” Ruby told Newsweek. “Everyone kept saying how amazing Dubai is, so we thought, ‘Let’s go see for ourselves and have a relaxing break.’”
And at first, it was relaxing. A few hours into their British Airways flight, the pair dozed off peacefully—expecting to wake up closer to their vacation paradise.
Instead, they opened their eyes to confusion and chaos.
Ruby remembered stirring around 2 a.m. U.K. time. She glanced at the flight tracker, expecting to see the plane closing in on Dubai. But something didn’t add up. “The map showed the flight time had gone up by three hours, and it looked like we were just hovering near Cairo,” she recalled. They shrugged it off as a glitch and went back to sleep.
But what happened next was no software hiccup.
“Just before 5 a.m., we woke up to the captain making an announcement,” Ruby said. At first, they assumed they were preparing to land. Instead, the captain delivered news that left the whole cabin stunned: the U.S. had launched an attack on Iran overnight. For safety reasons, the plane was being rerouted.
“He said that air-traffic control and national security had made a hard decision, but it was all about keeping us safe,” Ruby explained. “He apologized and told us that our safety was the top priority.”
British Airways later confirmed that it had canceled several flights from London Heathrow to Dubai and Doha that day due to the rising tensions after the U.S. missile strike. Flights that had already departed were diverted mid-air.
In a statement shared with The Telegraph, British Airways said, “As a result of recent events, we have adjusted our flight schedule to ensure the safety of our customers and crew, which is always our top priority. We are contacting our customers to advise them of their options while we work through this developing situation.”
But for Ruby and Jack, the surprises weren’t over yet.
Their plane didn’t have enough fuel to return to London, so the crew made the decision to divert them to Zurich, Switzerland.
“The crew had hit their maximum working hours and needed to rest,” Ruby explained. “So we were told we’d either have to wait for them to be cleared to fly again—or for a new crew to be flown in from somewhere else.”
Even with all the stress, Ruby said the crew were nothing short of incredible. “They were calm, really attentive. They answered everyone’s questions and even helped a young boy who needed to get back to Dubai,” she said. “I take my hat off to them because some customers were really moaning.”
It was only after they got WiFi mid-flight and messaged their families that Ruby and Jack grasped the full weight of what had happened.
“Our families were the ones who told us about the attack. They said, ‘Don’t go to Dubai—just come home.’”
Back on the ground in Zurich, the atmosphere among passengers shifted.
“There were people panicking, arguing with staff,” Ruby said. But she and Jack kept their cool. “We were just thankful to be safe. Switzerland is beautiful, and we definitely felt safe landing there.”
After a few more hours of waiting, the couple finally boarded another flight—this one bound for London. They headed straight home, shaken but relieved.
It’s a story Ruby felt compelled to share on TikTok under her handle @rubytuesday_, and the internet was just as shocked. Her video has already been viewed over 579,000 times.
Thankfully, there was a happy ending. Ruby said they received a full refund for their Dubai trip, and instead of scrapping the holiday altogether, they pivoted to a sunny escape in Tenerife.
“We’re not planning on going back to Dubai anytime soon,” Ruby added. “We want to wait until everything’s calmed down.”
