First nonstop flight from Middle East to West Coast lands at San Francisco International

"I spent the first night huddled on the floor next to my bed, worried about the windows exploding- so you hear alerts going off, you hear explosions in the sky. It's hard to know what's going on. But it's really unsettling."

"I couldn't be more relieved to be home. It was five days of uncertainty but I'm thrilled to be back on American soil."

"We had a lovely lunch then the bombing started, so we went back to the hotel and at that point, we were sheltering in place, locked down, doing whatever they told us to do."

Travelers stranded in the Middle East during the Iran conflict returned home on the first nonstop Emirates flight from Dubai to San Francisco International Airport. Many had traveled abroad for work and became trapped as the conflict escalated. Travelers described sheltering in place, hearing explosions, and experiencing fear and uncertainty about returning home. A group of 60 Bay Area residents spent three days stuck in Dubai before the flight. One traveler, Heather Doherty from Alameda, spent five days sheltering in place in Dubai after her connecting flight turned around mid-flight. Emotional reunions occurred at the airport with families greeting returning travelers with flowers and embraces.

Read at ABC7 San Francisco