The attack on Iran created ripple effects at local airports in the New York City area. Multiple flights to the Middle East were canceled or redirected Saturday. That left many passengers scrambling to find other ways to reach their destination. Jane Rametse hasn’t seen her family in 10 months. She was looking forward to returning home to South Africa. But halfway to Doha, Qatar — her first stop — the pilot turned them around. “So, five hours into your flight, five hours going back, now sitting at the airport waiting for my next flight,” she told NBC New York at Kennedy Airport. Rametse is among a handful of Qatar Airways passengers stuck at JFK while several countries have closed their airspace following the American and Israeli attack on Iran. “What happened to the world?” another passenger asked after flights like United 164 were turned around. The jet had taken off from Newark Liberty International Airport Friday night. But as it approached the coast of Spain early Saturday morning, the flight was forced to return to Newark. “(The) board is saying the flight is cancelled. We went to the counter, but no one is there to answer our questions” explained passenger Krishna Chhetri. Several carriers, including American, Delta and United suspended flights to the Middle East as missile strikes continued Saturday evening. While some travelers were delayed, they understood the extraordinary circumstances. “People who have relatives who were killed are in much worse situations, said passenger Rich Schmitt. “This is an inconvenience for me.” FlightRadar24 shows the path of a United Airlines jet that had to return to Newark Airport after nearly reaching Spain, because of Saturday’s strikes on Iran. “I’m sort of concerned the government allowed hundreds of planes into these regions while they knew this was (a) planned situation. That’s crazy,” added passenger Nuha Shaikh. Most airlines are offering waivers to passengers so they don’t have to pay higher fees when rebooking. But it’s not clear when people will be able to travel. ...read more read less