A Salt Lake City travel agency says several of its American clients are stuck in Amman as fighting across the Middle East sharply escalates. The travelers have been told to shelter in place while airlines and embassies sort out how and when they can safely leave, part of a wider regional scramble to get citizens home as commercial routes shrink and government warnings pile up.
Morris Columbus Travel president Brent Jenson told the station that a tour group in Amman had been instructed to stay put and that the company is canceling upcoming tours while staff work to move clients onto any available flights, according to KSL NewsRadio. The agency, headquartered in Salt Lake City, has advised customers to remain in their hotels and contact airlines while staff coordinate options on the ground, per its website at Morris Columbus Travel.
U.S. Tells Americans To Depart Now
The State Department has urged U.S. citizens to "DEPART NOW" from more than a dozen Middle Eastern countries and recommended that they use commercial transportation while it works on additional options, according to The Washington Post. Officials also said they are arranging charter flights out of the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Jordan for people who cannot find commercial seats.
Embassies And Shelter-In-Place Notices
Diplomatic posts across the region have issued shelter-in-place alerts and, in some cases, temporarily moved personnel out of compounds. The U.S. Embassy in Amman warned staff to avoid the compound, and missions in Saudi Arabia advised Americans to stay inside after drone strikes hit the Riyadh compound, per reporting by Gulf News. Several embassies have also canceled routine consular services and told citizens not to come to diplomatic facilities until conditions improve.
Flights, Charters And Who Is Getting Out
Airspace closures and mass cancellations have left many travelers stuck or sleeping in terminals as airlines scramble to adjust schedules, and governments have launched ad hoc evacuations. U.S. officials have facilitated charter flights from Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and more than 9,000 Americans have departed the region since the strikes began, according to AFP via Dawn. Travelers who did not use a travel agent have been told to shelter in place and contact airlines or the State Department's emergency lines for assistance.
Locally, Morris Columbus Travel's Salt Lake headquarters has told clients to stay put until they are contacted with a confirmed departure plan, and the company says it is trying to rebook or refund trips as conditions allow, Jenson told KSL NewsRadio. For now, the State Department recommends enrolling in STEP and using its emergency hotline and official channels for the fastest, most authoritative updates, a point underscored in coverage by The Washington Post.
