My BA flight travels over the Gulf – is it safe?

Simon Calder answers your questions about booking a flight with an old passport, travelling to Kenya and new cheaper train tickets on the East Coast Main Line

Some airlines fly over Iraq and Iran to reach southeast Asia (Getty/iStock)

Q This morning we booked flights via British Airways from Heathrow to Phuket, however, the flight is operated by Qatar Airways. I feel this is contradictory because BA is diverting flights and Qatar Airways can’t/aren’t.

What do you suggest we do? Where do we stand with BA if they sold us a flight that it doesn’t even look like they think is safe?

Kathryn C

A As you say, British Airways is now diverting flights that would normally fly over Iraq and Iran. A number of other airlines are also doing so, including Air France and KLM. But it is not correct to say that BA is avoiding the Gulf – right now, I am looking at a map showing the afternoon British Airways flight from Heathrow to Dubai, currently over Egypt and on schedule to land in the UAE.

The Gulf-based airlines, including British Airways’ part-owner, Qatar Airways, are continuing to fly over Iraq and Iran. Most Qatari flights between the UK and Doha are routed over Iran.

None of these airlines will operate a flight if the captain feels it is unsafe, and I am quite prepared to accept his or her judgement.

But given your concerns, a pertinent question is: was the routing evident when you booked?

I think it is. I made a test booking, and the cheapest options were on Qatar Airways (a combination of British Airways and Bangkok Airlines was also offered). But it was made clear that the flights were on the Qatari airline via Doha.

If you have changed your mind, I urge you to call the airline immediately. Because your itinerary has British Airways flight numbers (albeit attached to Qatar Airways flights), and you booked direct with BA, then it should be a straightforward matter to get a full refund thanks to the 24-hour no-quibble policy that the airline generously offers.

The airline says you can do this at ba.com, but to be certain I suggest you call the carrier on 0344 493 0787 option 3.

For alternative flights, I urge you to try the excellent nonstop service on Tui, which has charter flights from Gatwick and Manchester to Phuket at lower fares than the Qatar one-stop. And the airline has been avoiding the Gulf region.

Airlines are required to know when your passport expires (Getty) (Getty Images)

Q I am booked to travel to Spain in April 2020, and want to renew my passport now to avoid possible Brexit-related problems. But will that cause any issue if I booked the flight with a different passport from the one that I will be flying with?

Rob M

A You need no passport to book a flight in Europe. The travel document you plan to use becomes relevant only when you provide Advance Passenger Information (API) ahead of the departure. This involves all the usual personal stuff: full name, date of birth, nationality, number expiry date (of the passport, not the passenger).

Airlines are told to collect departing and arriving travellers’ details, which are passed on to governments at both ends of the route for security purposes, though I suspect that little use is made of the API data.

Whatever ludicrous warnings airlines and tour operators may make – such as you being denied boarding if you fail to provide API three days in advance – for European flights there is no legal need to do so before you reach the airport.

Of course, many passengers like to check in well in advance, and some airlines penalise people who turn up without a boarding pass. And to get a boarding pass, you have to supply API. So in theory you could check in weeks ahead with one passport but need to use another to travel. By then you are committed to the original travel document. And while in my experience there is rarely any correlation between the information you use for check-in and your passport – beyond a departure-gate check to match your name with the boarding pass – in theory you could face problems. (That would particularly be the case if you happen to have two passports from different countries, eg the UK and Ireland, and were to check in on one and then try to board a plane on the other – sometimes, a nationality is specified.)

But there is an easy way to avoid problems: don’t check in until the day before, or a few hours ahead of, departure.

You should be more concerned about the roads than terrorism if travelling in and around Kenya for a safari (Getty)

Q What are your thoughts about our safari holiday in Kenya next week? Will it be safe enough?

Name supplied

A The assassination by the US of the Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani has raised tensions across the Middle East, with Iran vowing to take revenge. I have been contacted by many travellers who are apprehensive about going to the region, but inevitably the consequences could spread beyond the Gulf.

Kenya has had a long history of terrorism, involving both al-Qaeda and the al-Shabaab group – who are based across the eastern frontier in Somalia. More than 200 people died in Nairobi when al-Qaeda suicide bombers detonated a truck full of explosives outside the the US embassy. This time last year, the 14 Riverside hotel and commercial complex in Nairobi was the target of a murderous attack.

And a large swath of Kenyan territory bordering Somalia is classed as off-limits by the Foreign Office (FCO), while Lamu Island is one place that is not on the “no-go”, the tourist spot’s airport was the subject of an al-Shabaab terrorist attack three days ago in which three American personnel died. (It has now reopened.) The FCO also warns: “There is some evidence of growing support for Daesh [formerly referred to as Isil] in Kenya.”

All of which is, I accept, troubling for anyone who is heading for east Africa imminently. But the Foreign Office warnings about terrorism in Kenya remain unchanged from last year, and there are no obvious links between the terrorist groups active in Kenya and the regime in Iran. Your safari will doubtless be well away from the no-go area, and I regard the risks involved as tolerably low.

I have more concern, from a risk perspective, about road travel in Kenya – which the World Health Organisation regards as about eight times more dangerous than the UK. If you have a choice, fly on a commercial service (or if you happen to be going to Mombasa, take the train).

LNER is trialling simpler fares (AFP via Getty)

Q I’ve been reading about these new cheap train tickets on LNER you’ve been banging on about for the last few days. I travel a fair bit by train, mainly between South Yorkshire and London, and I’m trying to work out whether I can take advantage of them for business trips to London?

Ben J

A You’re right that I have been enthused by the new trio of off-peak one-way tickets introduced by LNER – the government-run train operator on the East Coast main line. They are aimed at providing much cheaper “walk-up” tickets for people making journeys between London and the three key cities of Leeds, Newcastle and Edinburgh.

The intention of this trial is to try to spur more people into travelling by rail by making it more flexible. At present, as you may know from your trips, it can be straightforward to buy Advance tickets when you know exactly the train you want – but if it’s impossible to predict when your meetings might end, or even whether you will need to stay an extra night. In such cases the cost of a one-way, off-peak ticket can be prohibitive (usually only £1 less than the off-peak return fare).

None of the chosen cities is in South Yorkshire, of course – but if you buy the Leeds-London ticket, price £58.35, then it is equally valid on the standard routes from Doncaster to London King's Cross and Sheffield to London St Pancras. It also works from Barnsley and many other South Yorkshire stations. Just buy it in the same way as you normally buy your tickets – but ask for a Leeds-London ticket, not one from the station where you intend to board.

Don’t worry, there is nothing dodgy about doing this: these tickets are available to start or end your journey at any point on the route. The main issue is: will it save you money? Undoubtedly, compared with the normal off-peak fares on LNER and East Midlands Railway. The new tickets are subject to the same basic time limitations (designed to bar rush-hour travel), so to be sure either ask at the station or confirm with the National Rail Enquiries website that the journey you plan is eligible for an off-peak fare. Finally, station ticket staff are not obliged to tell you about these fares – so if you ask at Sheffield for an off-peak single to London, you will be sold what you asked for, price £79 – rather than saving a quarter of that with a Leeds-London ticket.

Email your question to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder​