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The family spent three days travelling across four flights, with more than 34 hours in transit, before finally arriving in Singapore.
PHOTO: AsiaOne file
PUBLISHED ON March 05, 2026 11:52 AM BY Koh Xing Ying
A Singaporean family of three spent nearly $5,000 to rebook their flight tickets after they found themselves stranded following a two-week trip to Antarctica, when several airports were shut due to rising tensions in the Middle East.
The family spent three days travelling across four flights, with more than 34 hours in transit, before finally arriving in Singapore on Wednesday (March 4), reported Shin Min Daily News.
Speaking to the Chinese daily, Liu Shanglai (transliteration), 66, said he, his wife and their daughter had joined an Antarctic tour organised by EU Holidays on Feb 14 and were scheduled to return to Singapore on March 3.
However, due to the escalation of the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran, airports across the Middle East were closed and flights suspended.
As a result, the 26 members of the tour group were unable to transit through Dubai and have been stranded in Argentina since Feb 28.
"After learning about the situation that day, we checked the available flights and booked our tickets — from Argentina to Houston in the United States (10 hours), then to Los Angeles on the same day (4 hours), followed by a flight from Los Angeles to Taiwan (about 15 hours), and finally from Taiwan back to Singapore (about 5 hours)," he said.
With airfares rising quickly, Liu told Shin Min Daily News that other members of the group had chosen to fly to Paris instead, which he believed would likely cost them even more.
"After we booked our tickets, some members checked again and found that prices had increased by another $500 to $1,000," he said, noting that more than half of the group were retirees, some of whom were not in a hurry to return.
He added that he paid about $5,000 to rebook his family's tickets.
Liu also expressed appreciation for the tour guide for helping to find suitable flight routes for those who wanted to return earlier.
"The tour guide was at the airport for the past few days, constantly checking things for us. I don't know if he got any rest," he said.
singapore
Singaporean family stranded overseas by Middle East conflict, forks out $5,000 to get home
The family spent three days travelling across four flights, with more than 34 hours in transit, before finally arriving in Singapore.
PHOTO: AsiaOne file
PUBLISHED ON March 05, 2026 11:52 AM BY Koh Xing Ying
A Singaporean family of three spent nearly $5,000 to rebook their flight tickets after they found themselves stranded following a two-week trip to Antarctica, when several airports were shut due to rising tensions in the Middle East.
The family spent three days travelling across four flights, with more than 34 hours in transit, before finally arriving in Singapore on Wednesday (March 4), reported Shin Min Daily News.
Speaking to the Chinese daily, Liu Shanglai (transliteration), 66, said he, his wife and their daughter had joined an Antarctic tour organised by EU Holidays on Feb 14 and were scheduled to return to Singapore on March 3.
However, due to the escalation of the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran, airports across the Middle East were closed and flights suspended.
As a result, the 26 members of the tour group were unable to transit through Dubai and have been stranded in Argentina since Feb 28.
Flight prices rose by $500–$1,000
Liu shared that, as his daughter needed to return to work and could not delay her trip, he and his wife decided to accompany her back to Singapore."After learning about the situation that day, we checked the available flights and booked our tickets — from Argentina to Houston in the United States (10 hours), then to Los Angeles on the same day (4 hours), followed by a flight from Los Angeles to Taiwan (about 15 hours), and finally from Taiwan back to Singapore (about 5 hours)," he said.
With airfares rising quickly, Liu told Shin Min Daily News that other members of the group had chosen to fly to Paris instead, which he believed would likely cost them even more.
"After we booked our tickets, some members checked again and found that prices had increased by another $500 to $1,000," he said, noting that more than half of the group were retirees, some of whom were not in a hurry to return.
He added that he paid about $5,000 to rebook his family's tickets.
Liu also expressed appreciation for the tour guide for helping to find suitable flight routes for those who wanted to return earlier.
"The tour guide was at the airport for the past few days, constantly checking things for us. I don't know if he got any rest," he said.
