LORAIN COUNTY — As military action continues in the Middle East with the U.S. and Israeli forces continuing their attacks on Iran and counter-strikes, there have been widespread impacts on air travel.
Erin Callahan, from Lorain, is trying to get back home. She’s currently in Jordan. Monday, she learned her Turkish Airlines flight from Jordan to Turkey had been cancelled. It’s the first flight of her journey to get back to Northeast Ohio.
"All the rest of our flights are still going. So, we've been trying to find a flight to get to Turkey,” Callahan said. “There are a few airlines that are flying out of Amman, but they're pretty booked up. So, it's hard to get a flight.”
She said a third-party travel agency overseas booked the flights, and it has added to the complexity of the situation. Also, Callahan said attempts to contact or get guidance from the U.S. Embassy in Jordan and the U.S. Department of State have been unsuccessful.
The U.S. Department of State’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) is designed to contact U.S. citizens in case of an emergency.
Trip of a lifetime
Callahan has been on a weeks-long trip, along with her friend Janice, to the Middle East. It’s the first time they’ve been to the region, which also included a 15-day stop in Egypt.
It’s their first time to the Middle East, a trip Callahan called breathtaking as they’ve met and interacted with locals and visited ancient attractions, including Petra, the Roman Theater and other sites of significance.
"In Egypt, we saw the pyramids and the Sphinx, and anything you can imagine, we saw in Egypt,” Callahan said. “We did a whole tour throughout Petra. We walked seven miles when we were in Petra, down into the canyon… there's a lot of catacombs and a lot of burial sites, tombs, those kinds of things.”
Concern setting in
Saturday, while on a walking tour in Jerash, Jordan, Callahan said her group, led by a guide named Omar, heard planes going overhead.
"Then we heard bombs dropping. And then we thought machine guns. And then somebody else said, ‘No. That's anti-aircraft guns going off.’ Because Jerash is pretty close to the Iraq border and the border of Syria,” Callahan said. “As the time went on, we kept hearing more and more planes go by. We would hear bombs drop now and then.”
They were able to finish their tour and later learned of the military action after returning to their hotel room.
Callahan said she’ll never forget a conversation with her tour guide about what’s unfolding.
"It really opens your eyes to what people go through that live in these areas. Our tour guide (Omar) was really shook up,” Callahan said. “He said he's worried about his children. He thinks he needs to get out of the Middle East. He's lived here his whole life. He knows everything. He's just a very, very smart man… knows everything about the history and the archaeology of what's going on here. He's worried for his children and worried for the children in these other countries.”
Callahan said she and her friend are staying calm, but uncertainty remains.
"I feel pretty safe in Jordan. I'm more worried about flying home because it seems like the airports are a target. And anywhere near a U.S. base or anything seems to be targeted,” Callahan said.
While uncertainty looms, the women are trying to stay positive and count their blessings.
"Last night we slept on the desert with a Bedouin tribe in yurts. And today we're in Aqaba, which is on the Red Sea,” Callahan said.
She doesn’t anticipate landing a flight for the next few days.
"Actually, we're not even sure where we're going to stay because our next hotel stay is at the Dead Sea, because we were going to go next to the Dead Sea and spend time there. I'm not sure how it is there right now,” Callahan said. “I mean, it's further north. So, I think it's probably going to be okay. But it is on that border—it gets close to the border of Israel again.”
While navigating everything, she’s been in touch with her family, who said they are rightfully concerned, including her husband and kids.
"I'm getting texts all the time,” Callahan said. “I think it's been stressful for them worrying about us getting home. They've been pretty worried. They want me on a plane now.”
