'My hotel bill is £12,000': British holidaymakers stranded by Iran war 2 days ago Share Save Danielle Codd , Business reporter and Jennifer Meierhans , Business reporter Share Save Andrea Pendrey Andrea Pendrey has missed her chemotherapy treatment while she is stuck in the Maldives British holidaymakers have told the BBC they are stranded abroad after their flights were cancelled when the US-Israeli war with Iran broke out. Airspace remains severely restricted following missile strikes across the Middle East meaning commercial flights through major hub airports have been grounded. Some British travellers are trapped in far-flung locations facing bills for accommodation, food and essentials which may not be covered by their travel insurance. Andrea Pendrey and her partner were on holiday in the Maldives before she was due to begin treatment for breast cancer. They were due to fly back on Sunday 1 March - hours after the war broke out - and arrived at the airport to find their flight cancelled. "Emirates just told us we need to find a room, at our own cost and the airport was filling up with more and more people," says Andrea. They managed to find a resort but it has come at a huge financial cost. "We reckon we'll have forked out an extra £12,000 by the time we leave," Andrea says. Her partner lost his job before the holiday. "The money is stressing me out," she adds. "We've just had to put it on a credit card." There is no standard definition of what travel insurance providers must cover in these situations so any claim for additional expenses will depend on the wording of each policy. Extra compensation is only payable when an airline is at fault, which is not the case with travel difficulties caused by the current conflict. What are my rights if my flight is cancelled or delayed? Andrea's treatment was due to start last Thursday in the UK. "I'm trying not to think about it too much. I need to get home for my chemo. It's not helping being here," she says. The couple spent hours every day for almost a week trying to rebook onto rescheduled flights but with no luck. Andrea's insurance company eventually classified her as a medical emergency - and they are due to fly back to the UK via Frankfurt on Monday. "Even though this place is paradise, we've been crying and feel really upset," she says. Ashley Jones and Trang Nguyen Ashley Jones and Trang Nguyen are awaiting a flight from Bangkok Ashley Jones, 26 and his partner Trang Nguyen, 25, were on a two-week holiday in Ko Samui and Bangkok, Thailand. But he says the outbreak of war "ruined" the last week of their holiday. "We started panicking about how we'd get home and fearing we'd run out of money." The couple from Crawley, West Sussex were due to fly back to the UK on Sunday. But their flight was cancelled. Ashley says he had no alternative but to accept a rescheduled flight as British Airways told him all other flights were "fully booked" unt
Originally reported by BBC Business. Published on ABN12.