Gen Z American's 'flight to nowhere' stranded her in Doha. She was put up in a 5-star hotel, all expenses paid.

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel, Business
Ria Singh in her hotel.
Ria Singh is staying at a 5-star hotel for free but still doesn't know when she'll get home.

Ria Singh

My flight U-turned midair as war broke out in the Middle East. Now I'm stranded in Doha, and it feels like the early days of Covid.

Tech Insider : Travel, Business
Peter Wozny at Doha's international airport on February 28
Peter Wozny at Doha's international airport on February 28

Courtesy of Peter Wozny

The Iran conflict triggered some of the longest-ever flights to nowhere, with 2 planes returning to their bases after 16 hours

Tech Insider : Business, Travel
An Emirates Airbus A380-800 bound for Dubai departs Toronto Pearson International Airport in Mississauga, Ontario, on February 26, 2026.
An Emirates Airbus A380, like the one that returned to Auckland.

Mike Campbell/NurPhoto via Getty Images

MAPPED: Mexico cartel violence forced dozens of flights to divert, including a pair of private jets

Tech Insider : Business, Style, Travel
Smoke billows from burning vehicles amid a wave of violence, with torched vehicles and gunmen blocking highways in more than half a dozen states, following a military operation in which a government source said Mexican drug lord Nemesio Oseguera, known as
Smoke billows from burning vehicles in Puerto Vallarta on Sunday.

@morelifediares via Instagram/Youtube/@morelifediares via REUTERS

Travelers endured a half-day flight to nowhere after their plane u-turned over the Arctic 7 hours into the journey

Tech Insider : Business, Economy, Style
An All Nippon Airways Boeing 787-9 takes off from Haneda airport in Tokyo on October 29, 2025.
An ANA Boeing 787 departing Tokyo's Haneda Airport.

GREG BAKER/AFP via Getty Images

Hide and squeak: Passengers flying to Spain endured a flight to nowhere after a rodent was spotted on board

Tech Insider : Business, Style
Airbus A320NEO aircraft of SAS Connect spotted flying in the air, departing from Amsterdam Schiphol AMS airport.
An SAS Airbus A320neo.

Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Trump's hugely anticipated Davos speech looks set for a delay after Air Force One had to turn around

Tech Insider : Politics, Business, Travel
A view of the plane which will now carry President Trump to Switzerland after Air Force One returned to Joint Base Andrews on January 20, 2026 in Joint Base Andrews, Maryland.
Trump is traveling to Switzerland on a Boeing C-32A, pictured on Tuesday night, instead of his usual Air Force One.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

British Airways passengers from London to Mexico had a 9-hour flight to nowhere when their plane U-turned 150 miles off the coast of Canada

Tech Insider : Business, Economy, Style
British Airways Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft as seen on final approach flying over the houses of Myrtle avenue in London a famous location for plane spotting, for landing at London Heathrow Airport LHR
A British Airways Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images

A 165-mile journey over the Irish Sea turned into a 2.5-hour flight to nowhere when a storm stopped the plane from landing

Tech Insider : Business, Style
Boeing 737-400 Ryanair aircraft identification code. Planes at Leonardo Da Vinci international airport in Fiumicino. Fiumicino (Italy), August 10st, 2025
A Ryanair Boeing 737.

Massimo Insabato/Archivio Massimo Insabato/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images

A Delta flight from Paris to Minneapolis U-turned after less than 20 minutes in the air

Tech Insider : Business, Travel
An Airbus A330-323 from Delta Air Lines takes off from Barcelona airport in Barcelona on March 18, 2025.
A Delta Airbus A330-323 bound for Minneapolis was forced to loop back to Paris minutes after takeoff due to a flap-related mechanical alert.

Joan Valls/Urbanandsport/NurPhoto via Getty Images

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