Just thinking about similar things myself as the MH17 story unfolds. Will be flying EK191 from DXB to LIS and back on EK186 from BCN to DXB. Can't help to notice that on flightradar24, the flight path from LIS/BCN to DXB is consistently straight east through Italy, Albania, Greece, Turkey and then turn right heading southeast down eastern Iraq (near Iran border) then Kuwait then Persian Gulf before finally reaching DXB. Syria is deliberately avoided, though can't see if the flight passes over ISIS territory in Iraq.

Flight path from DXB to LIS/BCN typically heads west into Saudi Arabia (and flightradar24 can't track it until the flight emerges in Mediterranean) before heading WNW over Mediterranean, sometimes touching the northern tip of Tunisia before going over Iberia. On a few occasions, the flight takes the exact reverse route of the eastern bound flight. I wonder if the western-bound flights go from Saudi Arabia over Red Sea over Egypt or goes into Jordan/Palestine/Israel.

Thoughts ?