Americans stranded in Middle East find little U.S. help as war disrupts regional flights

Thousands of Americans stranded across the Middle East after Israeli-U.S. attacks on Iran began Feb. 28 largely navigated their own way home — relying on WhatsApp group chats, private drivers and alternative border crossings — as U.S. government repatriation efforts lagged behind those of allied nations, multiple travelers said Friday. The first U.S.-chartered repatriation flight did not arrive until Thursday, days after Poland, Australia, France and other countries had already dispatched military or chartered aircraft for their citizens.

As of Friday, about 27,000 Americans had returned to the United States since the conflict began, the State Department said, with the vast majority traveling without government help. More than 29,000 of roughly 51,000 flights scheduled in or out of Middle East airports had been canceled, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium, as airspace over Iran, Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait and Syria remained closed.

The contrast between Washington’s response and those of allied governments has drawn sharp criticism from stranded travelers and Democratic lawmakers, testing the State Department’s capacity to protect Americans abroad during a rapidly escalating regional conflict.

Travelers describe finding their own way out

Alyssa Ramos, a travel blogger, said her evacuation from Kuwait took 48 hours and carried her across four continents without any U.S. government assistance. She arrived in Miami on Thursday.

“They keep going on the news and saying they’re doing everything they can to get Americans out,” Ramos said. “I know for a fact they’re not.”

Ramos said she repeatedly messaged the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait before being directed to the consular section, which told her it could not help her leave the country and advised her to enroll in the U.S. smart traveler program and shelter in place.

Susan Daley, a Chicago resident who became stranded while on a work trip in the United Arab Emirates, arrived in the United States on Thursday aboard the first commercial flight from Dubai to San Francisco since the conflict began.

“Having the State Department or whoever tell us, ‘You need to get out immediately,’” Daley said, “but there’s no help, so you’re on your own to get your own travel plans. That was the most stressful thing.”

American Cory McKane escaped Dubai by renting a car with friends and driving to the Oman border, where he said taxi drivers were charging up to $650 to transport stranded travelers to Muscat’s airport, where flights remained operational.

“Everyone’s been sending each other resources because, quite frankly, the U.S. has not done a single thing in any capacity,” McKane said. “That’s been really disappointing.”

Trenten Higgins reached New York on Thursday after taking a taxi from Israel into Jordan and flying out of Amman. He said State Department guidance consistently lagged behind conditions on the ground.

“Every alert that they gave and all the advice they gave was a day at least too late,” Higgins said. “Even when it wasn’t too late, it was impossible to act upon and then they would just hang up.”

WhatsApp groups fill the information gap

With limited practical guidance from the State Department or U.S. consular offices, many travelers said they turned to informal networks for information on commercial flights and alternative routes.

Ramos created several WhatsApp group chats that attracted more than 2,200 members within three days. Members shared rides to airports where flights were still operating, names of trusted drivers, their prices and accepted currencies.

Some travelers also started fundraising campaigns to cover hotel bills and other expenses after days stranded in Gulf cities. In one group message Thursday, a woman wrote that her family — including two children — had two flights canceled in Dubai and that her diabetic 2-year-old was running low on medication. Other members quickly offered advice.

State Department pushes back, cites logistical challenges

The Trump administration pushed back against criticism that its response was too slow. Two State Department officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal operations, said 30% to 40% of Americans offered seats on charter flights had either declined them or did not show up, though the officials could not convert that range into a specific number of people.

The officials said about 13,000 Americans had contacted the department seeking information or assistance about leaving the Middle East, and stressed that not all of them were asking for or were offered seats on charter flights.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday the U.S. had organized recovery flights but that officials faced logistical challenges.

“We know that we’re going to be able to help them,” Rubio said, while cautioning that “it’s going to take a little time because we don’t control the airspace closures.”

Democratic lawmakers call response ‘unacceptable’

Jason Altmire, a former three-term Democratic congressman from Pennsylvania who became stranded in Dubai, eventually flew to Bangkok after the UAE partially reopened its airspace. He said the State Department offered only a generic email throughout his ordeal.

“We never heard anything from the State Department other than the general email advising us to find our own way out,” Altmire said. “I found this, along with the ‘you’re on your own’ State Department voicemail, to be infuriating.”

The State Department email Altmire shared with the Associated Press advised Americans in the UAE to leave “if they believe they can do so safely.” For those who could not or chose not to depart, it recommended sheltering in place and leaving “only as necessary to obtain food, water, medications, and other essential items.”

In a letter Tuesday to Rubio, Democrats in Congress wrote that “the lack of clear preparation, planning, and communication to Americans abroad is unacceptable.”

Air traffic slowly recovers

Airspace over Iran, Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait and Syria remained closed Friday, according to flight-tracking service Flightradar24. Azerbaijan also shut the southern sector of its airspace Thursday after accusing Iran of a drone attack that injured four civilians and damaged an airport building.

Signs of recovery emerged nonetheless. Qatar announced Friday it would partially resume flights for passenger evacuations and cargo through designated contingency routes. Dubai Airports said it had facilitated more than 1,140 flights over the past three and a half days and was adding more daily.

Emirates said Friday it expected to restore its full flight network in the coming days, depending on airspace access and operational conditions — a development that would give passengers additional options beyond the Oman, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan exit routes that had remained operational since the conflict began.