People drive to Oman and Saudi in hope of a flight, while most tourists stay stuck in hotels and on cruise ships

“Iranian attacks on Dubai and the closure of its airport have triggered a scramble among the wealthy to leave the emirates via alternative routes on private jets.

“The normally glitzy city – a playground for billionaires, influencers and millions of international visitors – has been on edge since drones and missiles fired in response to US and Israel strikes on Iran damaged the airport and struck several high-profile hotels and landmarks.”

  • ameancow@lemmy.worldEnglish
    16·
    11 hours ago

    They have basically an entire caste system of lower-class migrant workers or indentured servants of a sorts populating large swaths of the region, all the people who actually run the cities and manage the services and clean the streets and bathrooms and unload the grocery trucks, and they’re the only ones who can’t afford private flights out of the cities, so guess who’s going to die when the missiles rain down.

    It sure as shit ain’t going to be Saudi princes.

    • BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.todayEnglish
      7·
      10 hours ago

      I’ve had it explained by Middle Eastern businessmen that I’ve worked with. The workers are either Indian or Filipino. One of them is significantly better, but they are also more expensive. They sign contracts, and have to work long hours and stay cooped up in tight fitting bunks, like on a ship. It’s a pretty awful existence for little money.

      Those rich Dubai kids aren’t going to do those jobs.

      • ameancow@lemmy.worldEnglish
        6·
        6 hours ago

        I’ve had connections to people who did that kind of work also, they tell a lot of stories about people who have their passports or other vital documentation or cash savings confiscated on arriving and then they’re not allowed to leave and forced to work long, dangerous hours or not get paid or fed. These are often people from poor families or with little means to get out on their own.