trip.ae is it legit

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Trip has a rating of 1 star from 18 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases.

“The worst online booking platform”

Booking my trip on Trip.ae is my greatest nightmare. Those people will ignore you when you want to make changes or when you need a refund from trip cancellation. Booking was fast but now none have f my emails are responded to. I got hold an online agent who asked me to go have refund from the airline. I paid trip.ae why do I go for refund at the airline. You've made my life so difficult. Let me caution anyone who may think of booking with them

Reviews (18)

• Follow Osama H.

I'm really disappointed with the agent from the airline. It's been almost a year since I requested my refund, and they still haven't paid me back. Their lack of communication and slow response time have been incredibly frustrating. I've been patient and understanding, but this is unacceptable. I expected better customer service, and I feel like my concerns are being completely ignored. I won't be using their services again, and I'll make sure to share my negative experience with others as a cautionary tale. Avoid this airline and their unhelpful agents at all costs!

• Follow Amjad K.

I am the latest victim of these scammers. This morning I searched using SkyScanner.net and found a suitable route on TRIP.AE. After booking the ticket from DOHA to Vancouver for USD 1754.86, I had to cancel due to personal reasons within 1 hour. Soon after canceling, I got an email from TRIP.AE stating they had initiated a refund of USD 1666.36, while at the same time, the website tried to deduct my credit card for USD 1666.36 Update: 28-08-2023 After filing the Dispute Form with my Bank with all the evidence, I got an SMS from the Bank stating the refund amount had been initiated successfully and should be in my account in 3 working days. I am not sure if it's due to me logging the dispute form or if it was by the Merchant.

• Follow Zahra A.

I had booked a flight to Perth through them and had to cancel it because of visa issues and its been more than 3 months since they received a refund from the airline but they haven't refunded me yet. I don't understand why they are keeping the money with themselves as it doesn't take time issue a to refund. I spent more than $1000 on this flight. I contacted them more than a month ago asking about the refund and they said they will prioritize the refund but it was just a scam. Don't waste your time booking through them, just book directly from the airline. I had to learn that the hard way.

• Follow Maniyath S.

Bitter experience from them just now(2/6/2023).They collected more money from my account. Totally disappointed.

• Follow Marian M.

I keep sending then email for my refund request but until date I didn't receive my refund. Worst Customer Service ever.

• Follow Osama S.

I have booked through them and they have issued a ticket with wrong passenger name. When I have contacted them, their response was the name can't be changed and the passenger should travel on its own risk. Never think of dealing with such a company again

• Follow Diane O.

This website was recommended by Skyscanner while I was booking my flight this morning April 24,2023. I booked four tickets and paid the full amount for four passengers around 1000BHD. I received a shady email with booking details and lots of other shady details. I contacted the airliner to make sure everything is ok, they told me I have nothing under my name nor under my family's name. I contacted Trip.ae and asked them to send me the tickets. They said they will send them and I insisted to get them sent to my email. They said they needed 24 hours in order for them to process the tickets. I insisted to get the tickets although I felt I was dealing with a bunch of scammers. They sent me three tickets with incorrect departure dates! I called them again and asked them to correct the mistake. They asked for more money. I paid 121BHD extra money to fix the departure date but never received any tickets. I called them another time and asked for the tickets to be sent to my email. They sent another shady message in my email saying that they changed the dates but never sent the actual tickets. I called the airliner again to check whether the date change was reflected on the tickets, they said there are canceled bookings on their website but no tickets at all. I reached out again to the scammers and asked them to send the tickets which they did after several attempts and a lot of wasted time. In total, I could've gotten a better price if I had booked on the website of the airliner directly. Lesson learned: book from the website of the air company and pay whatever price that suits your means. At least, you can hold them accountable in case something happens. Lesson 2: skyscanner doesn't run any background check on these shady scamming companies. EDIT: Skyscanner reached out to Trip and they send me valid and confirmed tickets. No refund for the addition paid fees was made, though.

• Follow Omar K.

I have never been so consistently disappointed by one company in my life. All I wanted to do was change my flight itinerary. Calling the customer service number for over a month, it does not work or ring. So we are left with no other option but to go through the customer service chat. This is where it gets interesting, because every time you start a new chat with a new agent, you get a different quotation and set of information with your request. It is hilarious. I contacted 4 agents on separate chats, these are the responses I recieved, ON THE SAME BOOKING REFERENCE, ON THE SAME REQUESTED ADJUSTMENT! 1. Sure sir, we will accomodate all your requested changes for an additional fee of AED 1350, shall I send you the payment link now? 2. Sorry sir, the airline is not allowing us to make any changes to the flight itinerary, we will have to cancel the flight path, but you do not qualify for a refund sir 3. You qualify for a refund, however, we cannot confirm how much the refund will be as this will be determined by the airline. 4. We will make the necessary changes, however, you need to pay a penalty fee of 2,050 AED, shall I send the payment link now?

Tip for consumers: Do yourself a favour, do NOT use this website. The same company operates with 3 other names due to bad PR, they keep re-appearing with new names: Trip.ae Gotogate.com

• Follow S M.

https://www.trip.ae/ Although it is cheaper to book through them, it is the worst experience ever. My flight was changed by the airlines, Royal Jordanian, and therefore I was entitled for a full refund. To verify that, I got a confirmation and approval over the phone, by RJ call center, that there is no cancellation fees. However, they insisted to deduct 400 dhs for the airlines and 160 dhs for their company (even though I have an email proof confirming that they requested for 60 dhs as their assist fees). Their support team won't call the traveler, instead they will ask you to call them on international number. I was placed on hold for 50 mins (intl call) for them to just scam me and get more money as cancellation charges. Also, refusing to send any email confirmation with the fees so that I won't hold them accountable for more than 900% increase in cancellation fees!

• Follow Dina N.

NEVER EVER USE THIS WEBSITE TO MAKE ANY BOOKINGS Here's my horrible experience with this travel agency I have booked 2 tickets and paid (‪2,379US), we had to cancel the trip due to some non avoidable circumstances, i have requested a refund before the actual flight date, they have submitted a request for refund and told me that i need to wait for 2 weeks max inorder to process the amount and to claim it from the airlines company, i didn't have any issue with that But 2 weeks passed and i didn't hear from them, i tried to call many times, with one hour waiting on the call, and they keep telling me that the delay is coming from the airline company and we don't know when they will be responding I contacted with turkish airlines with my flight details, and the support team of turkish airlines confirmed that there is no refund requested submitted from trip.ae for my tickets, and my tickets are still in open status It's been 2 months now and i didn't hear back from them, no matter how much i tried to call or send complaints... they are cheater scammer don't ever deal with them...

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Just an advice to everyone for not getting in this situation like me to follow up refund more than 3 weeks, refundable amount only around 20% of total ticket. Phone call also add up a lot to this process. It's a Greek company with a UK number!? I book with it for the first and the last time.

50 replies to this topic

>> refundable amount only around 20% of total ticket <<

Your agent will refund the payment to you when they receive it back from the airline

Has the airline confirmed they have passed the payment to trip.ae?

Why do you keep phoning them up? It's not going to make the refund any bigger or make it come any quicker. Three weeks is nothing, three months is more usual.

Search engines don't capture that admin fee so trip.ae seems cheaper than most.

Trip.ae also sneaks in a $30 "admin fee" at the end, after you filled out all the forms.

Evil tactic.

triplicate! same answer as on your other threads

I don't quite understand what the "disaster situation" was.

When you have a strike, sever weather conditions or airport closure .....etc

I CONCUR....PLEASE AVOID, AVOID, AVOID. Please see my other thread of my experience of this agent.

This post was determined to be inappropriate by the Tripadvisor community and has been removed.

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Is trip.com legit? - Bargain Travel Forum

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So I'm browsing for hotels and found one I've been eyeing offered at trip.com for about 30% lower than Booking and Agoda. That doesn't seem too good to be true, but I've also never used this site. Anyone with any experience with trip.com?

1,498 replies to this topic

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g1-i12290-k11091854-Anyone_used_trip_com-Bargain_Travel.html

For those that want to read the long form the following is my experience with them.

I bought a couple of air tickets Calgary-Shanghai, through Trip.com. They showed up on the Tripadvisor flight search, and were twenty five percent lower than anyone else. I immediately bought one ticket, really wanting two tickets but it could have been my mistake. Then trying to buy a second ticket (for my wife), did the everything the same as before but at the very end was told it was sold out.

So I went online chat with them, and asked them, asking for a second ticket or a refund. The rep sent me a weblink, the same one I booked my first ticket with. I told him it was the same and said sold out at the end, but I tried to buy the second ticket as before on this link, and did get a second ticket for my wife. By this time the online rep had hung up the chat.

Upon closer inspection, however, the second air ticket for my wife was for a different departure time on the same day from Calgary, and meant she was on a different flight to Shanghai from San Francisco, arriving 12 hours later on a different day (the return flight was the same). So I immediately went back online chat, and asked the rep to change both to the same flight or cancel both tickets, and it was so soon that the flight booking didn't even show up on her computer. When it eventually showed up, she said that I couldn't cancel without paying 90% of the ticket price for some booking fee. She said sorry this was the airlines booking policy. I asked to just change the departure flight of either ticket to match the other, or else refund them both, that airlines normally had a 24 refund policy. She said no. I said could you please ask a supervisor. The following is the supervisor's return e-mail.

Dear VICTOR (Account: D254041****),

I tried to call you but was transferred to voice mail. So I am writing to you about the questions you mentioned on chat regarding Flight Booking. 5374325469.

First of all, you mentioned Mark gave you the link which caused the second flight . I checked the link and the link he sent to you is the online search page on which many flight packages are listed. This link does not indicate only one specific flight . And after the link was sent to you , you answered,” Yes I did all the fill in the blanks up till the end when it said flight sold out." When Mark wanted more details from you, there was no reply from you. So the window was closed. And When you book the ticket online, the flight details are listed on each page.

Secondly, when you started chat with Victoria, the ticket was not issued but was paid successfully. The booking status was in processing. When Victoria was confirming the booking details with you for booking security, the ticket was issued successfully. Please kindly noted that even if the ticket is not issued after we verify the booking detail with you, we apply the free cancellation but cannot guarantee. So now according to your booking policy, this ticket is non-refundable and unchangeable.

Now Booking 5374325469 and 5374077873 are still kept. If you have question, welcome to contact us.

Best regards,

I didn't quite know what to make of that. So I contacted both Air Canada and United Airlines by phone, the airlines on the tickets, and BOTH SAID THEY HAVE A 24 HOUR FULL CANCELLATION POLICY, but that the foreign booking companies formed their own rules. Very lucky for me, the United Airlines phone representative (Connie, and a big thank you if you read this), changed the departure flight of my wife to match my own.

I am an overseas Chinese, but so glad to be living in North America. Thanks, again, to United Airlines.

Not one regular on Trip Advisor would recommend booking anything through TA, and there are much better search engines for flights than TA. A search engine merely searches the net for you and then presents the results, and you chose the cheapest option without doing any further research first.

I never ticked any such thing. Check the site.

Nor was there any notification on ther site of such a policy, ie non-cancellable or refundable.

I just used it and am having buyer's remorse. I booked a room and had to give my credit card but it's not "booked" until you get a confirmation email that can take up to 12-hours later (at least my email said it could take that long, but it only took about 10 minutes). The check-in time they listed wasn't until 7 PM when I accepted the terms but when I received the confirmation, there was a 3:00 check-in. If trip.com is not able to book it, you won't be charged. However, once you give them your credit card and they book it, your money is gone.

Be careful on the late check-ins because you will not be able to use the hotel's amenities until you check-in since you didn't book through the hotel's website. So basically you have to be watchful of the check-in time (because it can be later than a normal check-in time) and not need it right away because you pay and then wait to see if it's accepted.

I did check the site. For hotels, after you make your selection to book, comes the page where you enter your personal information. There's a red BOOK button to go on. Immediately under that button, almost touching it, is "By submitting this booking you agree to the Terms and Conditions & Privacy Policy ." with a link to the Terms & Conditions and the Privacy Policy.

The site does not treat me any different from you, so you did indeed tick it.

I can't know about notification of cancellation policy, because that's different for different hotels, but I see that it appears beside each of the possible room selections under "Policies."

Now, I agree there is no notice in the T&C or otherwise about fares being non-refundable, but it is naive to imagine that a cheapo site can do anything to offer a cheap fare but sell the cheapest available fare, which is always, including direct through the airline , non-refundable. In fact, the complete lack of information about cancels and refunds would put me off using them at all. So I take the uninformative T&C to, in fact, be highly informative in terms of whether I would use this site, which I would not, but imagining that their Asian base is why they behave as they do and contrasting that with "western" practices is absurd. Look around this forum at the many "western" travel sites with tons of complaints of the same kind.

Hence my belief that people who don't have a pretty solid grasp of the travel industry shouldn't let some web site make their decisions for them and should book direct with suppliers where the supplier web site makes them make knowing choices.

one of the conditions was that the ticket would not be issued straight away after booking, but within 72 hours of the flight departure. To get your ticket immediately was almost double the price.

once everything was paid, i received a payment confirmation to my email and held my breath waiting for the ticket to be issued within the week.

Pleasantly surprised to find that after 3 hours, the ticket was issued complete with a Virgin booking number. i looked up the flight on the Virgin website and was relieved to find it on their system, with correct details and everything.

i was nervous as trip.com doesnt have any published reviews and reading bad reviews on tripadvisor didnt help. the four star rating on skyscanner.com is a bit annoying as i cant find a way to see what other users experience was like and their recommendations. skyscanner shouldn't show the star rating if they cant back it up with a review system similar to what tripadvisor has.

if you choose to use trip.com, sign up for an account as all your ticketing info is held there, and get the app. it was an easy and quick method to book a cheap flight , especially with a deal that couldnt be missed.

i found the booking terms and conditions to be very clear. they have a booking and price guarantee if the airline has a change, however if you change your mind or cancel your flight , thats when it becomes non-negotiable and there is no refund.

I just ran AKL/MEL through SkyScanner, selected a Virgin, and booking with Virgin direct was $1 cheaper than trip.com. Why insert a third party between yourself and the supplier?

I would not choose to trip.com, and I certainly wouldn't want to add the complication of a third party and pay more for he privilege.

I booked, received a confirmation and a week later received a phone call asking my nationality, which is American. Half an hour later they called back to tell me only Chinese people may book and my reservation has to be cancelled, if I agreed within 3 hours they would refund me in full. I accepted as I saw no real option. I called trip.com to ask for an explanation which they are investigating. I provided a phone number and address from America, it was clear where I was from. This is fraud.

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Is Trip.com a Legitimate Travel Business?

Looking to go on vacation? You might've stumbled across Trip.com, but is it a legit company to use? Is it trustworthy?

Trip(dot)com offers excellent discounts on travel-related services. Are you considering using them for an upcoming trip? Using the website to book flights, hotel reservations, car rentals, and more can help you save lots of money, but will they add any real value to your long-awaited vacation?

What are the risks associated with booking travel-related services from Trip? How do people feel about the website? Are there any other reliable alternatives to it?

What Is Trip.com?

Founded in 1999, Trip is one of the longest-running businesses in its sector. Whether you are booking a flight with a favorite airline, looking for a hotel overseas, or renting a car, it offers almost everything you might need while on vacation. The best part is that all of this is available at a massively discounted price.

Being an international company, Trip covers nearly all regions, with operations in almost 200 countries. Thanks to the extensive hotel network that it has built and the flight network it has set up connecting 5000 cities, Trip offers excellent discounts and offers. Moreover, to serve the needs of global customers, the website supports nearly 44 languages.

Although the company has grown enormously, you might still be wondering whether it's legitimate and trustworthy.

Is Trip.com Legit?

Yes, Trip(dot)com is legit and not a scam. Here's why:

• Trip(dot)com Group, a NASDAQ-listed company, owns this website.
• Over two decades in business suggests it isn't a shady company.
• Its extensive network of hotels and flights suggests other businesses trust the company.
• The company currently has more than 45,000 employees, indicating it's a well-established enterprise.

So what do other customers say about it?

What Do People Think About Trip.com?

The company has a rating of 3.7 out of 5 on Trustpilot . Even though it seems pretty good, nearly 26 percent of its reviews are one-star. Based on the number of reviews it has, over 7,000 customers are dissatisfied.

However, after checking reviews in more detail, it appears most problems mentioned are related to the services booked through the website, over which Trip had little control. Some people complained about dirty rooms in hotels, airlines canceling flights at the last minute, or poor customer support from hotels they booked.

Trip is not responsible for all such things, but the blame is on businesses listed on the website. In other words, most negative reviews don't refer to the company as having caused the issue. However, some people have shared issues specific to Trip(dot)com. Some of them are:

• Since the customer service representatives are not native English speakers, a language barrier is a major concern.
• There is a slow response time from the company when it comes to handling complaints, which results in further delays.
• The refund process takes a long time.

However, contrary to other companies, a Trip representative has responded to more than 91 percent of negative reviews and given reviewers instructions on how to resolve the issue and avoid it in the future. The company clearly cares about its reputation.

But why should you choose Trip over booking directly with the businesses?

Reasons to Use Trip.com for Your Travels

Here are some reasons why booking services from Trip(dot)com is a good choice:

• In comparison to booking the same service directly from a business, Trip deals are cheaper.
• There are numerous options for you to compare and choose from.
• You can book hotels and rentals abroad from the comfort of your own home.
• From one website, you can plan your entire trip and manage your finances effectively .
• Trip claims to offer the best deals. If the same deal is available elsewhere for less, the website claims to refund the difference.

The above reasons make Trip a top choice, but you should follow some tips to book services smartly.

Tips for Booking Services Smartly on Trip

Here are a few tips to remember when booking services on Trip(dot)com:

• Read the reviews of other customers who have used the same service through Trip.
• Check airline reviews outside of Trip(dot)com to determine how reliable they are. Don't be afraid to pay more for trustworthy options.
• Don't book flights through the website in emergencies. Getting them directly from the airline will enable you to reschedule it quickly in case of a cancelation or delay.
• Refunds can take around a week or even longer, depending on the situation. Make sure you have an extra budget in reserve to counteract that.
• Prepare a backup plan to deal with unforeseen circumstances.
• Give the customer support team proper details about your complaint to get it resolved promptly.
• Only book hotels and car rentals a few days before your vacation, so you don't have to request multiple refunds if your plans change.

How to Contact Trip.com Customer Support

If you prefer to talk to customer support by phone, you can find contact information on Trip.com's help page . The details vary by region and country, so contact the appropriate number for better assistance.

The easiest method, however, is to contact Trip customer support via live chat. To connect to a representative:

• Visit the Trip.com website .
• Click on the headphone (Service Chat) icon in the lower-right corner.
• You will need to sign in, so if you haven't already, do it now.
• Choose the option you need assistance with.
• Send any random question or query when the Trip chatbot greets you. You can say, for example, "I would like to speak with an agent."

By following these steps, you can avoid the annoying chatbot and connect with a real person.

Trip.com Alternatives

If you've had a poor experience with Trip or are concerned about the negative reviews, there are many other reliable options. The best alternative to Trip includes Booking(dot)com, Expedia, and TripAdvisor.

However, an even better option would be to use specialized services. Airbnb, for instance, can help you find affordable accommodation. Likewise, you can choose a well-known service for air tickets and rentals discounts. Despite the higher price, websites that offer dedicated travel services can assist you in better planning your journey.

Another excellent option is to use the local websites offering services in a specific country; the best local websites in the UK , for example. Besides being more trustworthy, you'll find better deals there.

Make the Most of Your Vacations

Those planning vacations can find everything they need at Trip. It does have some downsides, however. Hopefully, with some knowledge about choosing a deal on Trip(dot)com, you'll soon be one of the many happy Trip customers. And if the deals don't appeal to you, simply check out its alternatives.

Is Trip.com Legit? Reviews and How to Save Money

Trip.com is the only website I use when booking a trip to China. However, it has increasingly also become a popular travel site for booking trips to the United States, Canada, and abroad.

In this article, I'll review Trip.com, let you know whether it's good for travel in the United States, and give you some helpful hints for using it to save money.

Is Trip.com Legit?

Let's start with the first question: Is Trip.com legit? Yes, Trip.com is legitimate and completely safe to use (at least as safe as any other travel website like Expedia or Travelocity). I've used Trip.com and CTrip.com (its parent company) for over 10 years. 

Trip.com is now owned by CTrip , one of the largest travel companies in China (it was acquired by CTrip in 2017). If you've used CTrip to book your flights, you'll notice most English speakers are now automatically directed to Trip.com while Chinese speakers are directed to CTrip.com.

Is Trip.com a Chinese Company?

Yes, Trip.com is owned and operated in China.

Politics aside, this means that you'll often be dealing with Chinese customer support staff. In my experience, there are definitely some cultural and language issues you'll encounter if you need to get in touch with customer support.

Pros and Cons of Trip.com

Just like any other travel site, there are good and bad things about using Trip.com. Here are some based on my personal experience:

Pros of Trip.com

• Earn “Trip Coins” (reward points) every time you book
• Often very cheap prices (especially for airline tickets)
• Easy to contact customer service via chat
• Excellent for trips to China

Cons of Trip.com

• Overseas customer support means there can be language and cultural issues
• Still better to book hotels and flights directly through hotel/airline websites when possible
• Polarizing User Interface (UI) – You'll either love it or hate it
• Foreign (China) based company 

Let me give a quick overview of the pros and cons:

(Pro) Trip Coins – When you book with Trip.com, you get Trip Coins, which are basically reward points you can use for booking future trips. It works out to around 5% of your purchase price, so it's not bad.

(Pro) Cheap Prices – Trip.com offer prices that are often much cheaper compared to competitors like Travelocity and Expedia, especially for airline tickets. You're typically not going to be surprised by any hidden fees either.

(Pro) Easy to Contact Customer Support via Chat – Opening up a customer chat is extremely easy (and not buried in a million sub-menus as is often the case with other websites).

(Pro) Great for Chinese Travel – This won't be applicable to a lot of people reading this, but if you're traveling within China, Trip.com is basically  the site to use, especially for booking Train tickets.

(Con) Overseas Customer Support – Trip is getting better in regard to its customer support but it's still not uncommon to get overseas customer support which can lead to communication problems.

(Con) Better to Book Direct – There's one flaw with all travel booking websites (whether it's Trip.com or any others) and that's that it is better to book direct through airline and hotel websites when you can. Often you'll get better prices, more flexible cancellation/change policies, and easier customer service when you do.

(Con) Polarizing User Navigation – You're either going to love the UI for Trip.com or hate it. There's not a lot of bells and whistles which means you're not going to get inundated with a million upsells but you also won't be able to find detailed information on hotels. 

(Con) Foreign Based Company – Trip.com is Chinese owned. For better or worse, I recognize in the current political climate this can be an issue for some.

Trip.com Reviews vs. Other Travel Websites

Trip.com ranks far better than other travel booking websites such as Travelocity, Expedia, and Booking.com on review aggregator websites such as Trust Pilot and the Better Business Bureau . To be blunt, most other travel booking websites rank terribly  while Trip.com ranks fairly well. To be fair though, there is likely a bit of “gamesmanship” involved with how Trip.com is managing its reviews, i.e., the score is likely over-inflated.

Is Trip.com Good for US Airline Tickets?

Trip.com is  the website for booking travel to China, but it is also good for booking trips to and within the United States. In many cases, Trip.com is the cheapest booking option, especially for airline tickets.

In my experience, the price of airline tickets on Trip.com is lower than on other travel booking websites. You might be suspicious of these prices that are “too good to be true” but, as someone who has booked countless flights through Trip.com, I can tell you there's nothing to fear.

Is Trip.com Good for Booking Hotels in the US?

When it comes to booking hotels, Trip.com, in my experience, is very comparable to other websites such as Expedia or Travelocity. However, I rarely book Western hotels through Trip.com simply because it's usually not the cheapest option.

With that being said, it's worth noting that most hotel stays will earn you approximately 5% back in Trip Coins, which most other websites don't offer. So if Trip.com and another website offer the same price for the same hotel, keep this 5% bonus in mind.

Is Trip.com Good for Booking China Trains, Hotels, and Flights?

Trip.com is good for booking US trips, but where it really shines is travels to China. This probably won't concern many of the people reading this, but if you're planning to travel to China, then Trip.com is going to be your best friend.

Why is Trip.com so good for booking Chinese travel? First, in terms of train bookings, it's essentially the only English-friendly booking website. Second, when it comes to airline tickets and hotel bookings, most Western websites have limited options for Chinese flights and hotels.

How to Book a China Train Travel with Trip.com

Traveling by train in China is wonderful—booking train tickets is a different story. Most Chinese people use WeChat to book train travel, but this isn't an option for foreigners.

Foreigners have three options for booking trains:

• Book at the train station. This requires you to get there hours in advance, try to figure out the train schedule, and deal with language barriers. The only advantage is there's no booking fee.
• Book through the official Chinese railway website 12306.cn . Not an option for foreigners really, as you can't pay with a foreign credit card.
• Book through Trip.com . Enjoy an extremely Western-friendly website, view easy-to-understand schedules online, and book easily with your credit card. The downside is you'll have to pay a $5 to $10 booking fee.

Is Trip.com Good for Booking Hotels and Flights in China?

Trip.com is also a better option for booking hotels and flights in China than other Western travel booking websites because of the number of options. 

Western travel booking websites like Booking.com and Priceline will have many Chinese hotels and airlines available, but they won't have as many as Trip.com. Now, to be fair, if a Chinese hotel isn't available to be booked on your favorite Western travel website, you probably don't want to stay there if you're a first-time traveler to China (Chinese hotel standards are vastly different than Western Hotel standards). 

For airline tickets, the same is true: Trip.com will have far more flight options to China than Western travel booking websites do. Western websites will have the major Chinese airlines like China Southern and China Eastern, but they won't have the smaller Chinese airlines. 

In conclusion, Trip.com is a perfectly safe and legitimate website for booking travel both in Western regions like the United States, Canada, and Europe, as well as in China. Airline ticket prices tend to be priced below average compared to other major travel booking websites, and when it comes to booking trips within China, Trip.com is the best  choice.

Have you tried booking on Trip.com? If so, what has your experience been? Let me know in the comments below.

Dave Bryant

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Trip.com is not legit. It’s a bait and switch. They give low prices, confirm the reservation, and then cancel the next day, and attempt to book you at a shitty resort instead.

Never Trust this app we had terrible Experience eith them we just loss a huge amount of money with them amounting more than USD2000..we did not receive even a single cent from them like literally we wasted our savings with this apps

I have very bad experiences about trip.com. Never trust them.I have loss huge amount of money. They are absolutely terrible.I have bought two tickets from Bangladesh to Russia. But they have changed the date.So when I asked to refund my money they didn’t gave me any single money. This is the policy they use for achieving money from people.this is their trap.I’m gonna file a case against them.

muito bom super indico praticidade e conforto

Don’t buy trip.com, I’ve purchased a round trip to Seattle paid almost $100.00 for extra insurance on the flights, didn’t got any info that I must check in on the internet before got to the airport, got there and the airline didn’t allowed me to get in the plane after I waited forever to do the Electronic ticket without any success the attendant was even worse, told me to get on line to check in at gate, only to them tell it was to late for me to get to my flight. I lost my flight all together and the next flight was 2 days from that day “ no good “ I place a claim they denied and no one did nothing to help. Start from this company to the airline. I lost all my money, about $500 dollars.

i lost my booking in trip.com. I booked my trip at 4am and the checkin suddenly change to day in the past. my booking suddenly become checkin in yesterday and check out by today

I called to complain but trip.com denies its their system issue and try to talk to the hotel but failed. I sincerely advised dont book from them anymore !!

do not trust this website or app!!! i lost over $6k and american express believes them. i’m so disappointed in american express too.

Despite what many of the comments have said here, I’ve had an excellent experience with Trip.com. The communications have been super clear and the refund process super quick with refunds coming back into my account within days as opposed to weeks for many vendors. Whenever I’ve had to speak with customer service through the live chat to amend details or ask questions I’ve been extremely impressed with how efficiently my requests are handled. I’ve only booked hotels through them though as I almost never book flights through a third party vendor due to the added complexities around needing to make changes etc. I wanted to point out an inaccuracy in the article that 12306.cn does take foreign bank card now, as of September 2023 when I last booked a set of train tickets through an Australian bank card with them. I agee that trip.com provides the best user experience for booking Chinese train tickets as a foreigner, but the booking fees end up being quite steep if you need to book a lot of travel. 12306.cn doesn’t take any fees and it also tells you how many tickets are left which is very helpful as seats can sell out very quickly. The learning curve is all in booking the first ticket and then after that it’s super easy.

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Reviews 4.2.

77,417 total

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Great hotel

Great hotel, convenient to the airport, only 509m from the departure gates. The staff were super helpful. I didn’t have any case, nor have I got WeChat or weibo pay, the staff Daniel went beyond his responsibilities and lended me $200RMB to help me get an taxt

Date of experience : 22 April 2024

Reply from Trip.com

Hi AIKUN JULIE/LIU, Thank you for taking the time to leave us a positive comment. We are delighted to hear that you had a smooth booking experience with us. Your satisfaction is our top priority, and we are committed to providing you with the best possible service. Our user-friendly application/website is designed to provide you with a range of options to plan your desired travel or vacation. We will continue to improve our services to ensure that you have the best possible experience with us. Thank you once again for choosing Trip.com, and we look forward to embarking on a beautiful journey with you soon. Best regards, Layla Trip.com

UK Train Ticket Solution

It is traumatizing to purchase a train ticket via the GWR website using a foreign credit card, I tried several times with no luck. Then I discovered trip.com, at first I was skeptical because I've never heard of the site and it's not US based. But I read some reviews and I took my chance, the ticket is genuine and it's even $10 cheaper than from the GWR. I will use trip.com again, it's highly recommended!

Date of experience : 09 April 2024

Hi Carlos Q Paras III, Thank you for sharing your feedback with us. We are delighted to hear that our APP/Website brings convenience to our customers, and we are committed to maintaining this level of service while constantly striving to offer even more competitive deals and offers for our valued customers. Your continued support is greatly appreciated, and we eagerly anticipate serving you on your future journeys with us. Once again, thank you for choosing us as your preferred option. Best regards, Madeline Trip.com

Name change request

I’ve been trying to make a name change request as I got confused with the term last name. Sometimes the last name of the passport may not be the person’s surname. After reaching the customer service countless of times and escalating to higher management, Karol called me within 30min. She was really prompt and empathetic. She was trying her best to find what was the best solution for me and I can never be more grateful. Karol is truly a model employee everyone should learn from including myself. Thank you so much Karol and truly appreciated your help! (:

Date of experience : 26 April 2024

Hi Kevin Z, Thank you for taking the time to provide us with your positive feedback. We are thrilled to hear that you were satisfied with our service, and your kind words have made our day. At Trip.com, we are committed to providing our customers with the best possible deals and offers. We are pleased to hear that you have found our app/website useful, and we encourage you to continue using it to find more deals that meet your needs. We look forward to serving you on your next journey with us soon. Thank you once again for choosing Trip.com. Best regards, Jasmine Trip.com

Hotel booking with Trip.com

Booked a hotel in Ipoh through Trip.com have a good holiday experience. Smooth check in and out without problem. Great service experience also when I changed to another hotel after booking and got the refund of the exact amount back very quickly.

Hi Tan HA, Thank you for taking the time to leave us a positive comment. We are delighted to hear that you had a smooth booking experience with us. Your satisfaction is our top priority, and we are committed to providing you with the best possible service. Our user-friendly application/website is designed to provide you with a range of options to plan your desired travel or vacation. We will continue to improve our services to ensure that you have the best possible experience with us. Thank you once again for choosing Trip.com, and we look forward to embarking on a beautiful journey with you soon. Best regards, Elizabeth Trip.com

What if accidentally you put wrong Date of Birth.

I would like to say that I’m incredibly grateful that Trip.com helping me to amend immediately the DOB. I called Trip.com right away and help me to change the DOB..The Customer Hotline service are very responsive and I never pay extra charge, maybe bcoz I informed them ,withIn 24hrs. It was excellent service for me.. Thank you Trip.Com and All the best..

Hi Ellen M Antonio, We greatly appreciate the time you've taken to share this review. We are delighted to hear about your positive experience with our customer support team. We deeply understand the importance of delivering exceptional customer service, and we strive tirelessly each day to provide an unmatched experience for our customers. Your feedback is an inspiration for us to continue our unwavering commitment to providing the best services and exceeding the expectations of our valued customers. Once again, we express our gratitude for choosing us, and we sincerely hope you have a truly fantastic day. Best regards, Morgan Trip.com

Do not book with Trip.com

Extremely incompetent staff. Being a third party booker, they submitted the WRONG NAME to the airline and caused significant issues down the line. Do not book with them, the few pounds you save won't be worth. Book with the airline, or one of their competitors. Also know that when you book with them, they will put their own email in the airline's booking system, as well as a Chinese phone number.

Dear Sikhei, We appreciate your effort in notifying us about this issue. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused. Please be assured that we will check it further and reach out to you directly. Your feedback is greatly appreciated, and we are treating it with utmost seriousness. We thank you for your patience and understanding regarding this matter. Best regards, Morgan Trip.com

Used trip.com many times

Update: my complaint was solved, thanks to Joy, Customer Success Team. Used trip.com many times and left several favorable comments, my latest experience was somehow complicated probably due to the airline system problem (it seems that some airlines websites don't allow managing your booking if booked on OTA).

Date of experience : 25 April 2024

Hi A Semenov, Thanks for taking the time to explain the issue to us, and I hope we've resolved it for you. If you need any further assistance, please don't hesitate to contact us - we're always here to help. Have a great day! Best regards, Avery Trip.com

Shelley was a great and patient guide

Shelley was a great and patient guide. Bery knowledgeable and it was a great day. Same for the driver who patiently and safely drove us around. I recommend this tour to others who may want a more personalised and time efficient experience!

Hi MrHe, Thank you for taking the time to provide us with such a wonderful review. We appreciate you sharing your experience with our customer support. Our team is dedicated to delivering exceptional customer experiences, and your feedback serves as a great source of motivation for us to maintain our high standards and exceed our customers' expectations. We are grateful for your choice in selecting our services, and we hope you have a fantastic day. Best regards, Layla Trip.com

Flight London to Beijing

Plane on time, good choice of entertainment, good choice of food. Staff could be better trained in English, deliver immigration cards during the flight. Long immigration time ( over an hour), no separate line for families.

Date of experience : 21 April 2024

Hi FRANCOISE/SCHOUTEN, Thank you for the time in leaving this review. I appreciate that you shared with us the experience you had with us. Please know that we are striving every day to provide the best customer experience to our customers. Your feedback motivates us to continue our best practices and improve what we need to improve. Thanks again for your feedback, have a wonderful day. Best regards, Layla Trip.com

Customer service was very good

Customer service was very good. When they failed to issue me the flight ticket due to price increase when it was booked. But the helped me issuing the alternate ticket for no extra cost which I was satisfied with the ticket was offered to me

Hi RONALD FERNANDES, We sincerely appreciate the time you took to write this wonderful review. Your willingness to share your experience with our customer support is greatly valued. Rest assured that our team is dedicated to consistently providing the best possible customer experience. Your feedback serves as a strong motivator for us to maintain our high standards and go above and beyond to exceed the expectations of every customer. Thanks again for choosing us, and we hope you have a great day. Best regards, Kaitlyn Trip.com

Ore easy flixable also I found out…

Ore easy flixable also I found out flight booking can not find in same airline website also hotels offer the breakfast option is more cheap

Hi SALAHELDIN AMER, Thank you for providing your feedback. We're thrilled to hear that you find our APP/Website convenient for our customers. Rest assured, we are committed to maintaining this level of service and striving to offer even more competitive deals and promotions to enhance the experience for our customers. Your continued support means a lot to us, and we can't wait to serve you on your future journeys with us. Thank you once again for choosing us. Best regards, Layla Trip.com

Trip.com is so far the best site to book your flight anywhere in the world.

Trip.com is so far the best site I have found for booking your flight. The website is easy to navigate and also I love how fast they deliver your tickets and itinerary to your email. Moreover, trip.com offers cash back and points which you can use next time you are booking another flight or hotel. In addition, you guys find the best flights in terms of cost and time for someone which is unique only to you. I love that The payment process was also smooth and experienced no challenges. You guys keep up

Date of experience : 18 April 2024

Hi PHILIP MBURU WANYOIKE, Thank you for sharing your feedback with us. We are delighted to hear that our APP/Website brings convenience to our customers, and we are committed to maintaining this level of service while constantly striving to offer even more competitive deals and offers for our valued customers. Your continued support is greatly appreciated, and we eagerly anticipate serving you on your future journeys with us. Once again, thank you for choosing us as your preferred option. Best regards, Victoria Trip.com

First time using trip.com

First time using trip. I had a complication and trip helped me and sorted the problem out .saved me stressing kept intouch with emails and phone calls. Thank you will definitely use again .

Hi angela Davidson, We appreciate your feedback and are glad to hear that you find our APP/Website convenient for our customers. Our team is committed to upholding this level of service and constantly enhancing it to offer even more attractive deals and offers for our valued customers. We sincerely appreciate your continued support, and we're excited to serve you on your next journey with us. Once again, thank you for choosing us as your preferred option. Best regards, Ella Trip.com

easy booking process, price as shown no additional price, give a clear information

booking process is easy, the price show the total price which considered as sincere. information of the hotel is clear, facilities, distance from public transport etc. payment and refund also process are not complicated.

Date of experience : 27 April 2024

Hi Chacha, Thank you for taking the time to leave us a positive comment. We are delighted to hear that you had a smooth booking experience with us. Your satisfaction is our top priority, and we are committed to providing you with the best possible service. Our user-friendly application/website is designed to provide you with a range of options to plan your desired travel or vacation. We will continue to improve our services to ensure that you have the best possible experience with us. Thank you once again for choosing Trip.com, and we look forward to embarking on a beautiful journey with you soon. Best regards, Emilia Trip.com

It’s nice application but charge is so…

It’s nice application but charge is so very high. Than other application . I use this application so many time but no any discount when I book tickets so that’s not good

Hi MEHUL, Thank you for taking the time to give us your feedback. We are pleased to hear that our APP/Website provides convenience to our customers, and we are committed to maintaining this high level of service. Your ongoing support is truly valued, and we look forward to serving you on your upcoming journeys with us. Thank you once again for choosing us as your preferred option. Best regards, Ella Trip.com

Just book directly through the airlines

After 4 years of trying (and failing) to get a refund from a cancelled flight from covid, it is safe to say that trip.com were the opposite of helpful. Using an agent like these means the airline can just pass on responsbility onto them, but trip.com kept saying they can’t do anything other than what the airline tells you. Since then I have learned two lessons - use a credit card so you can do a chargeback when companies like these are obstructive, and also book directly through airlines. It is much easier to deal with issues when there’s no unhelpful middle man.

Date of experience : 23 April 2024

Dear Matt Tapp, Thank you for bringing this concern to our attention. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you. Please rest assured that we will check the matter and contact you directly. Your feedback is extremely important to us, and we genuinely value it. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we will try our best to address this issue. Best regards, Ariana Trip.com

Unhelpful and unresolving

Unhelpful and unresolving in my recent trip to London where the room I booked with Trip.com was not reserved with the hotel. The hotel provided a room that was not what I paid for then moved us to a lower star hotel. Trip.com was unable to help in recovering the payment I made and was unable to just charge me for the room I was provided. Extremely unhappy with service and result. I will not use them again. I also will never recommend them especially with several other third party options who protect their clients are available.

Date of experience : 12 April 2024

Dear Christina/Kirakossian, Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We apologize for the negative experience you had with us. Kindly know that we will double-check the situation and contact you directly. We take customer service very seriously and we will take the necessary steps to ensure we improve our customer service skills. Thank you for your feedback and we hope you continue to have a pleasant experience with us. Best regards, Avery Trip.com

“One One Bangkok Hotel” is a very good…

“One One Bangkok Hotel” is a very good place to stay. I had to stay for several days in one room , then I extended my stay and used another room. Both were clean and comfortable. The staff was very friendly and helpful! They complimentary brought me to the hospital in their little car as I had to visit a doctor several days. The food in the restaurant was very delicious and not expensive. I liked my stay there

Hi MARYNA/KRISHCHUK, Thank you so much for your time in leaving this positive review. I am delighted to know that you are satisfied with your stay. Our user-friendly application/website is designed to provide you with a range of options to plan your desired travel or vacation. We will continue to improve our services to ensure that you have the best possible experience with us. Thank you once again for choosing Trip.com, and we look forward to embarking on a beautiful journey with you soon. Best regards, Ellie Trip.com

I am writing this review to compliment…

I am writing this review to compliment and commend the excellent service provided by the Front Desk staff Exor. The service that i received from your Front Desk staff is exceptional. The entire check in process was smooth and efficient.

Hi ADRIAN/CARINO, Thank you so much for your time in leaving this positive review. I am delighted to know that you are satisfied with your stay. Our user-friendly application/website is designed to provide you with a range of options to plan your desired travel or vacation. We will continue to improve our services to ensure that you have the best possible experience with us. Thank you once again for choosing Trip.com, and we look forward to embarking on a beautiful journey with you soon. Best regards, Jasmine Trip.com

Sophia has been really helpful in…

Sophia has been really helpful in resolving the issue of the additional baggage. I'm really grateful for her help and constant follow up.

Date of experience : 16 April 2024

Hi Sally Sim, Thank you for leaving us this review. We truly value your willingness to share your experience with our customer support. Please know that we are committed to providing our customers with the best possible experience. Your feedback is a constant motivation for us to maintain our high standards and exceed customer expectations. Once again, we sincerely appreciate your choice to support us, and we hope you have an amazing and fulfilling day. Best regards, Skylar Trip.com

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Reviews 3.4.

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thank you for your excellent services

thank you for your excellent services, i had a reservation by mistake, and your customer service help me.

Date of experience : October 17, 2022

I made a booking and my credit card was…

I made a booking and my credit card was charged by the website, didnt get email with booking number and reference and already one day passed, I cant find an email address to send you My name is ahmed omar Trip booked was for jeddah 11 april, flight 8:25 am for 2 persons on flynas airlines No email sent even after my credit card was charged fully

Date of experience : April 02, 2022

Bad experience with trip.ae

1. You are not answering any of my e.mails since 10 days 2. I tried to call you for the last 10 days with no success 3. The only time I had answered from your side the answer was very frustrated and advise me to go back to the airline and the airline through me back to you. Appreciate to have a phone call from your side urgently on 002 012 88 4444 66 to solve this problem. Thx Zouhier

Date of experience : January 29, 2022

Very bad service

Very bad service , long waiting time on phone that ends with ending calls… Even if the problem is from flight you need to pay also…

Date of experience : January 21, 2022

I have to pay much money to contact you…

I have to pay much money to contact you by phone ! I can’t change my name in the ticket

Date of experience : January 22, 2022

Excellent platform to book throuh

Date of experience : February 20, 2022

easy to use

Fantastic website and application, easy to use

Date of experience : January 13, 2022

excellent..

Date of experience : February 02, 2022

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Uber is helping investigators look into account that sent driver to Ohio home where she was killed

In this image taken from Uber dashcam video released by the Clark County, Ohio, Sheriff’s Office, William Brock, right, holds a weapon to Uber driver Loletha Hall outside his home in South Charleston, Ohio, on March 25, 2024. Brock, 81, who authorities say fatally shot Hall who he thought was trying to rob him after scam phone calls deceived them both, was indicted on a murder charge, Monday, April 15, 2024, by a Clark County grand jury. Hall had no knowledge of the calls made to Brock, authorities said. (Clark County Sheriff’s Office via AP)

This booking photo released by the Clark County, Ohio, Sheriff’s Office, shows William Brock, an Ohio man who authorities say fatally shot an Uber driver who he thought was trying to rob him after scam phone calls deceived them both. Brock, 81, is charged with murder, felonious assault and kidnapping in the March 25, 2024, shooting death of Uber driver Loletha Hall. (Clark County Sheriff’s Office via AP)

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Uber is helping investigators look into an account that sent a driver to the Ohio home where an 81-year-old man allegedly shot the woman to death because he erroneously believed she was part of a scam that targeted him, the ride-hailing company said Wednesday.

The March 25 shooting death of Loletha Hall is “a horrific tragedy,” and that account has since been banned, an Uber spokesperson wrote in an emailed statement. “Our hearts continue to be with Loletha’s loved ones as they grieve.”

William J. Brock was indicted Monday on charges of murder, felonious assault and kidnapping for Hall’s death. Messages seeking comment were left Wednesday for him and for his lawyer, Paul Kavanagh of Springfield, Ohio.

The grand jury also said that a gun seized from Brock’s home, a .22-caliber revolver, is subject to forfeiture. Brock has pleaded not guilty.

Police said Brock called 911 before noon to say he had shot someone at his South Charleston home, claiming Hall had tried to rob him. Investigators later said the driver was unaware of the scam call that Brock had received with threats and demands for money, citing an incarcerated relative.

Hall “made no threats or assaults toward Mr. Brock, and made no demands, other than to ask about the package she was sent to retrieve through the Uber app,” the Clark County Sheriff’s Office wrote in an April 11 release. The police agency said Brock “produced a gun and held her at gunpoint, making demands for identities of the subjects he had spoken with on the phone.”

It’s not clear exactly what the phone callers said to Brock, but the sheriff’s office news release included a reminder, particularly to older people, that law enforcement and courts do not solicit cash for bail money “in the manner of this case.”

“We encourage all citizens to use extreme caution when being contacted unexpectedly by subjects claiming to be relatives incarcerated in a correctional facility, or claiming to have direct knowledge of relatives incarcerated in a correctional facility,” the sheriff’s office warned.

The FBI in January issued an alert regarding government impersonation scams that send couriers to the homes of their targets — often older people — to collect money, or have them purchase gold and other precious metals. The FBI said its Internet Crime Complaint Center recorded that such activity had resulted in losses of more than $55 million in the last eight months of 2023.

A 2021 survey of older adults in the Chicago area found that when people were told by a fictitious government agency their personal information was compromised, those with low awareness of scams were particularly vulnerable.

Police have said the Hall’s Uber trip to pick up a package was ordered by the same person who made scam calls to Brock, or by an accomplice.

Brock is accused of taking Hall’s cellphone and not letting her leave, then shooting her to death when she tried to get into her vehicle. The sheriff’s office said it is investigating “the original scam call to Mr. Brock by the male subject” and the package delivery order through the app.

Brock shot Hall two more times, sustaining a minor head injury himself during the confrontation, and then called 911, police said. Hall, a Columbus resident who police said was not armed, later died at a hospital.

He posted $200,000 bail and was released from the Clark County Jail on Wednesday. FBI spokesperson Todd Lindgren with the agency’s Cincinnati office said it was aware of the murder but declined to confirm or deny whether it was involved in the case.

In an obituary in which her name was given as Lo-Letha “Letha” Toland-Hall, Hall was described as the parent of a son and a stepson, a devoted member of her church and a talented cook known for delicious pound cakes. She retired from Ohio’s Regional Income Tax Agency and also worked in behavioral health, at a school and for Uber. She studied horticulture at Ohio State and started a janitorial business.

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April 18, 2024 - Iran targeted in aerial attack

Kathleen Magramo, Sana Noor Haq, Christian Edwards, Aditi Sangal, Elise Hammond, Amir Vera, Tori B. Powell and Maureen Chowdhury, Adam Renton and Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN

Our live coverage of the attack on Iran has moved here .

Attack was a calculated message to Iran, retired US Army general says

From CNN's Michael Holmes and Elizabeth Wolfe

The attack on Iran early Friday was likely intended as both a retaliatory measure and a cautionary message, a retired US Army Major General told CNN.

For days, Israel has been weighing its response to unprecedented weekend strikes from Iran, which were launched in retaliation for a suspected Israeli strike on its embassy compound in Syria earlier this month.

A US official told CNN that Friday's attack was an Israeli strike. Israel has declined to comment on it.

“Israel must maintain its vigilance” in case Iran decides to respond with another show of force, retired Major General Mark MacCarley said.

By targeting the Iranian province of Isfahan — the site of significant nuclear facilities —Israel was likely warning that it could easily overwhelm Iran's defenses, MacCarley said.

“I think that there was a very deliberate thought process on the part of the Israeli war cabinet," he said.

"Israelis had to retaliate, but at the same time, within that retaliation was a message, and that is, 'Yes, we can get through. Don’t do it again. If you do it again, then all heck will break out.'"

Blast heard near Isfahan was caused by air defense firing at "suspicious object," Iranian official says

From CNN's Adam Pourahmadi and Irene Nasser

A loud blast heard near the Iranian city of Isfahan was caused by "air defense firing at a suspicious object," an Iranian senior military commander said, according to Iran's state-aligned Tasnim news agency.

There was no "damage or incident," said senior military commander Second Brigadier General Mihandoust in Isfahan Province, according to Tasnim.

A US official told CNN that Israel had carried out a strike inside Iran. The Israeli military has not commented.

Iranian state media are reporting that all facilities in the area are secure, including significant nuclear facilities .

Three explosions were heard early Friday near the military base where fighter jets are located in the Isfahan province, Iran's semi-official FARS news agency reported.

Iran's National Cyberspace Center spokesman, Hossein Dalirian, said air defenses shot down three drones and "there are no reports of a missile attack for now."

The Middle East is on edge after a strike on Iran. Here's what we know

From CNN staff

Israel has carried out a strike inside Iran, a US official told CNN on Friday , in a move that threatens to further escalate conflict in the Middle East.

Iran’s air defense systems were activated in several locations after explosions were heard close to the airport and an army base in the province of Isfahan, state media reported early Friday morning.

Israel has not taken responsibility for the attack.

Here's what we know:

• What Iranian reports say: Three blasts were heard near a military base where fighter jets are located in northwest Isfahan, Iran’s semi-official FARS news agency reported. Following the strike, Iranian media reported that all facilities around Isfahan are secure, including significant nuclear facilities in the area. Iran's National Cyberspace Center spokesman, Hossein Dalirian, said air defenses shot down three drones and "there are no reports of a missile attack for now."
• What was the target? That remains unclear, but the US official told CNN the strike's target was not nuclear. According to FARS, a military radar was a possible target. Ghahjaworstan, where an explosion was heard, is located near Isfahan Airport and “the eighth hunting base of the Army Air Force,” FARS reported.
• How did we get here? Tensions remain acute across the Middle East as Israel wages war in Gaza against Palestinian militant group Hamas, an Iranian ally. Meanwhile, a decades-long shadow conflict between Israel and Iran erupted into the open on the weekend when Iran launched an unprecedented attack on Israel that Tehran said was retaliation for a deadly suspected Israeli airstrike on Iran’s consulate in Syria.
• What Israel says: The Israeli military said Friday they "don't have a comment at this time" when asked by CNN about reports of explosions in Iran. Israel's war cabinet has met periodically this week without announcing any definitive action following the Iranian strikes on Israel last weekend.
• What the US says: Israel’s allies, including the United States , have called for restraint from Israel in a bid to prevent a regional war. The US "didn’t green light" an Israeli response, another senior US official told CNN. Prior to Friday's strike, the US expectation was that Israel would not target civilian or nuclear facilities, the second official said.
• What happens next? That also remains unclear. Reports of the explosions came hours after Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told CNN  that if Israel takes any further military action against Iran, its response would be “immediate and at a maximum level.” He added: “If the Israeli regime commits the grave error once again our response will be decisive, definitive and regretful for them.”

Iran lifts flight suspensions put in place following reports of explosions

Iran has lifted flight suspensions put in place after reports of explosions near a military base in Isfahan province, according to the spokesperson of the Civil Aviation Organization.

"We inform you that the operational restrictions imposed on the airports have been removed and the airlines are allowed to carry out scheduled flights," the spokesperson said.

Flights have resumed at Mehrabad Airport and Imam Khomeini International Airport, the two major airports in Iran's capital, Tehran, after being suspended earlier today.

Iran had earlier temporarily suspended all flights heading to the cities of “Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz, the airports of the West, North West and South West," state-run Mehr TV reported.

Outgoing flights were also briefly canceled.

Iranian state media reports no major disruption to Isfahan's infrastructure

From CNN's Nic Robertson and Elizabeth Wolfe

Following a strike in Iran's Isfahan province, Iranian state media are reporting that all facilities in the area are secure, including significant nuclear facilities, CNN International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson reports.

Though a US official told CNN Israel has carried out a strike inside Iran, Israel has not taken responsibility for the attack.

"The overall impression that's being related by the Iranian government and other media outlets in Iran is that whatever events have happened — and they do leave it rather ambiguous — it has not damaged significantly any important facilities near Isfahan," Robertson said.

State media is also reporting that they have not had any enemy aircraft come into Iranian airspace, he added.

Flight en route to Tehran returns to Dubai

From CNN's Sandi Sidhu in Hong Kong 

A flight from Dubai to Tehran was diverted back to the United Arab Emirates on Friday morning after Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport closed. 

A Flydubai spokesperson told CNN that flights from Dubai to Iran had been canceled. 

"Flydubai flight FZ 1929 from Dubai to Tehran on 19 April has returned to Dubai due to the closure of Tehran Airport (IKA). In line with the issued NOTAM, our flights to Iran today have been canceled. The safety of our passengers and crew is our priority," the spokesperson said.

The flight left for Dubai at 4:10 a.m. (8:10 p.m. ET) and arrived back in Dubai at 5:51 a.m. (9:51 a.m. ET). 

US Secretary of Defense spoke with Israeli Defense Minister earlier Thursday before Israel attacked Iran

From CNN's Mary Kay Mallonee

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant earlier Thursday about “regional threats and Iran’s destabilizing actions in the Middle East,” according to a Pentagon readout.

The call happened before Israel carried out a strike inside Iran . The Pentagon readout does not mention any discussion of Israel’s plans to attack.

Austin also discussed "the importance of increasing and sustaining the flow of humanitarian aid to Gazan civilians, including via the new route from Ashdod Port in Israel," the readout said.

CNN reported Thursday night that Israel had told the US that it would be retaliating against Iran in the coming days, according to a senior US official.

Iran's air defense downs 3 drones, official says, as state media reports no large-scale strikes

From CNN's Adam Pourahmadi and Hamdi Alkhshali

Iranian air defenses shot down three drones Friday, according to a Tehran official, as state media said no large-scale strikes or explosions had been reported following blasts near the central city of Isfahan.

It comes after a US official told CNN Friday that Israel had carried out a strike inside Iran, in a move that threatens to raise regional tensions.

Iran's air defense systems were activated in several regions as a precaution against potential aerial threats, according to state news agency IRNA.

“Following the activation of air defense in some parts of the country to deal with some possible targets, reports indicate that so far, no large-scale strikes or explosions caused by any air threat has been reported,” IRNA said early Friday local time.

Extensive checks in Isfahan, a critical central province with significant nuclear facilities, indicate that all sensitive military and security installations remain secure, with no incidents reported.

Missile defense systems were not activated, IRNA added.

This post has been updated.

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