As a driver I've been there a couple of times recently, the missus a few more than me.
In this day and age I found it actually reassuring that there was someone watching your back in places like Basra. I had a colleague down in Mombasa ( heard no complaints about going there) on the day someone tried to take out the Tel Aviv flight with an anti-aircraft missile. And just how reassured were the passengers on September 11th about their safety?
I tell you what, Sweety, why not ask the troops on board if they are getting " danger money" for doing their job? I would suggest that these flights would be some of the safest you can do at the moment, in terms of security, with the might of two professional armed forces keeping you safe, as opposed to a team of poorly paid and inadequately trained airport security people.