Heavy restrictions on flights out and in of Israel through the battle voided the plans of tens of 1000’s of people that had bought tickets to fly to or from Israel for Passover, spring break or some other purpose.
Underneath Israel’s Aviation Companies Regulation, prospects whose flights are canceled are entitled to decide on between a financial refund of the total ticket worth, or to be rebooked on a flight to their closing vacation spot underneath related phrases, on the earliest potential date and topic to seat availability.
However as they scrambled to search out alternative routes in or out of Israel, lots of these holding tickets for canceled flights on Israeli airways mentioned they have been provided solely a refund, with no alternative to rebook, alleging that the seats airways ought to have been required to order for them have been as an alternative offered off for considerably larger sums.
On the similar time, prospects who have been provided the chance to rebook mentioned the airways’ unresponsive or non-existent customer support made it almost not possible to take action, even because the carriers managed to proceed effectively promoting tickets at costs massively inflated by the extraordinarily restricted provide.
“What to me appears actually unsuitable is that they clearly have been promoting just a few obtainable seats for extra money beneath the toes of individuals whose flights have been cancelled,” mentioned Devora Goldstein, who, like different Arkia prospects, acquired an apologetic notification stating that the airline was doing its finest to help, and a discover that she can be getting a refund inside 14 enterprise days.
One other airline, Israir, informed passengers whose flights have been canceled that they may get a full refund, or select to obtain a future credit score voucher value 130% of their ticket worth — not essentially sufficient to cowl the price of a brand new ticket.
“Airways should not entitled to determine unilaterally that they’re going to refund passengers for canceled flights,” mentioned David Sprecher, head of the Aviation and Protection Tech Observe at legislation agency Lipa & Co. “The passenger is entitled to determine what she or he desires, which is both a rebooking to the ultimate vacation spot or a refund.”
Goldstein, who spends her time between Israel and the US and wanted to journey for work, had bought an already expensive $1,700 one-way Arkia ticket to New York on-line about three weeks into the battle with Iran.
The worth was greater than double what Arkia usually fees for the route — and the seat could have solely been obtainable as a result of Arkia had refunded the unique ticket-holder the decrease authentic fare, reasonably than rebooking them on the reinstated flight, ostensibly pocketing the distinction. But even paying that inflated worth didn’t shield Goldstein from being stranded herself.
“I acquired a discover of the cancelled flight the evening earlier than it was scheduled to go away due to new restrictions and there was no provide to rebook,” Goldstein recounted. “The subsequent morning as I used to be feeling nervous about needing to go away, I went again to Arkia’s web site, and all of a sudden I see that only a few seats have been being offered for a similar flight with the identical quantity and the identical departure time, however for a a lot larger worth than I paid.”
Others informed of paying as much as $1,800 for tickets to New York that usually go for $749.
“They’re making the most of the scenario as they’re reselling tickets to people who find themselves keen to pay extra,” Goldstein mentioned.
The allegation isn’t a brand new one. In earlier intervals of air visitors restrictions at Ben Gurion Airport, together with through the 12-day Iran battle in 2025, Arkia and different Israeli airways, together with Air Haifa, have been accused of allegedly deceptive prospects into accepting refunds for flight cancellations after which promoting new tickets at exorbitant prices.
“What has been occurring, that they are saying they’re sorry that they don’t have any different flights obtainable, and simply give a reimbursement, has been happening for years,” mentioned Adam Levin, founding associate at Rapoport Levin – Regulation Places of work. “A number of instances, they’ll determine, based mostly on their very own calculation, whether or not to offer a dearer flight or promote it to another person.”
“Clearly, once they have seats that they’re promoting, they aren’t upholding their finish of the discount, and they aren’t implementing the legislation because it’s presupposed to be enforced,” mentioned Levin.
Levin represents plaintiffs in an ongoing class motion swimsuit towards Arkia, who skilled flight disruptions through the Hamas battle and in June 2025 due to the preventing with Iran.
“We’re going to argue that the identical factor is going on once more over the previous month,” mentioned Levin. “Arkia doesn’t have a coverage, and so they do no matter they need at any given cut-off date, and customarily talking, they don’t give prospects the choice of another flight.”
He famous that a few of these shopping for tickets on the larger costs have been the identical prospects whose earlier flights have been canceled, although airways ought to pay the distinction when prospects need to shell out extra for a similar product.
Arkia mentioned in response that it “has been working across the clock with the intention to return its prospects, together with 1000’s of different Israelis, to Israel, and was among the many first airways to create various and inventive options in a fancy actuality. Arkia prospects whose flights have been canceled acquired a full refund, and in instances the place various or rescue flights have been operated from the related locations, they got precedence in allocation and have been assigned first, with none further cost for the rescue flights.”
Israir was unable to offer a response by publication time.
Unanswered calls
Not like Arkia and Israir, flag provider El Al has been providing prospects whose flights have been canceled both a full refund or a credit score voucher for future journey, whereas promising to allocate seats on obtainable flights to passengers holding an present El Al ticket earlier than providing it to others.
David Levendovics, 20, was stranded in Budapest when his flight again to Tel Aviv was canceled. He mentioned he desperately tried to succeed in El Al’s WhatsApp chatbot customer support assist system for days to be rebooked on a flight that may enable him to fly again to Israel forward of his enlistment within the Israel Protection Forces on Could 5.
“When my authentic flight turned obtainable once more, I repeatedly contacted customer support and acquired an automated message that they’re engaged on reassignments, prioritizing El Al ticketholders earlier than beginning to promote new tickets, and can attain out to me quickly, and there’s no must contact customer support once more,” mentioned Levendovics. “Properly, it by some means didn’t occur as a result of all of the tickets I noticed obtainable on-line at a a lot larger worth have been offered earlier than they lastly reassigned me on a later date, after a several-day course of.”
Levendovics, who moved to Israel in August, mentioned that he had booked journey on El Al regardless of the considerably larger worth, as he trusted that the Israeli provider would offer dependable assist in emergency conditions — particularly as somebody about to serve within the IDF as a lone soldier.
“As a substitute, I discovered myself with out significant help, unable to succeed in a human consultant at customer support for days, and in the end shedding the power to journey on my initially booked flight,” he mentioned.
An El Al spokesperson responded that the sheer quantity of customer support requests — as many as tens of 1000’s per day — led them to make use of WhatsApp to extra effectively deal with the deluge.
“With the intention to present the broadest potential real-time response, the corporate targeted on the WhatsApp channel, which allows representatives to deal with a number of inquiries concurrently and considerably develop service availability,” the corporate mentioned in an announcement.
“All through the complete interval, helping prospects whose flights have been canceled remained the best precedence, and no new ticket gross sales from Israel have been opened till the dealing with of those prospects had been accomplished,” it added. “We’re conscious that some prospects skilled lengthy ready instances and uncertainty, and we apologize for that.”
When battle erupted on February 28, Israel initially closed its airspace to civilian visitors fully, forcing all airways with routes serving the nation to cancel. After every week, it eased restrictions, although operations have been nonetheless at solely a fifth of pre-war ranges, and solely Israeli airways have been approved to function.
At Ben Gurion Airport, takeoffs and landings have been restricted to at least one airplane per hour, and outbound flights have been capped at 100 folks on board. The restrictions meant that solely a small fraction of ticketed prospects may really get on planes. Regardless of persevering with to promote tickets, Israeli airways, together with Arkia and Israir, have been additionally promising prospects to search out various options, together with making an attempt to function flights out of airports in Taba, Egypt, and Aqaba, Jordan, each of that are close to land crossings into Israel.
Sprecher, who was a authorized adviser formulating the Israeli Aviation Regulation again in 2012, mentioned passengers had a proper to insist on being “rerouted to any vacation spot, and from there, [being put on] native flights to their closing vacation spot.”
Goldstein mentioned when she was unable to succeed in a human at Arkia, she determined to go to the airport on the day she was presupposed to take off, to attempt to get a spot on the flight. There she discovered others in the identical boat or worse, she recalled.
“On the check-in counter, I used to be informed that I didn’t have a seat because it was canceled, and that they will’t reply questions or assist me as they don’t really work for Arkia,” mentioned Goldstein. “There have been no less than 20 of us there in the same scenario: some folks mentioned they have been by no means notified of a flight cancellation, and others had simply acquired details about it just a few hours in the past.”
Arkia mentioned in response that its “service facilities operated across the clock all through the complete interval and dealt with tens of 1000’s of inquiries.”
“The service groups did every part of their energy to offer a immediate and complete response,” it added.
Making an attempt to get onto the identical flight as Goldstein was a younger couple and their 2-year-old from Beit Shemesh, who have been making an attempt to make their solution to New York.
“After our authentic flights with Iberia and El Al have been cancelled due to the battle and we have been desperate to be with our household in New Jersey for the Passover vacation, we managed to purchase seats for the three of us for $1,800 every one-way to New York with Arkia booked via a good journey company,” mentioned the mother, a 26-year-old immigrant from the US who most well-liked to stay nameless.
Forward of the departure, they tried quite a few instances through the airline’s WhatsApp customer support channel to get details about whether or not their flight was leaving as scheduled however with none success and with out an possibility to talk to a human consultant.
“We determined to reach on the airport round 8 hours earlier than departure time, to be further secure and to be the primary in line, solely to be informed that our reservation booked via a journey company was cancelled and that there isn’t a one to speak to,” mentioned the mother. “It was only a brutal, terrible, and ugly expertise.”
She recalled that on the airport, a household with 5 youngsters talked about to them that that they had booked their ticket on the identical flight the evening earlier than.
“They have been let on the flight,” she mentioned, “whereas others like us have been refused.”
