Major airlines are cancelling flights in and out of Tel Aviv and Beirut following Monday’s deadly explosions of pagers in Lebanon. Some flights are discontinued well into next year.
Reuters said Delta has paused flights to TLV through 31OCT, while KLM cancelled all flights to and from Tel Aviv until 26OCT. Air France has temporarily halted flights to Beirut and Tel Aviv through 19SEP.
The Times of Israel reports that Lufthansa said it was suspending all flights to TLV and Iran’s capital of Tehran.
“We have extended our waiver for all customers currently booked to/from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport (TLV) so they can rebook their travel on available flights through December. 15, 2024,” Delta said on its website. “This waiver also allows these customers to process their own changes via the Fly Delta app, My Trips on delta.com or by calling Delta Reservations for support.”
Air Canada posted the following statement on its advisory site on 17SEP:
“Air Canada operations to and from Tel Aviv (TLV) will remain suspended for the foreseeable future as we continue to closely monitor developments in the region. We are committed to resuming flights to and from Israel and will do so as soon as it is safe for our customers and our crews.
If you’re scheduled to travel to, from or via Tel Aviv (TLV), Air Canada has implemented a policy that makes it possible for you to make voluntary changes to your itinerary if:
- You purchased an Air Canada ticket no later than September 17, 2024, for travel between September 17, 2024, and September 30, 2024.
If you are scheduled to travel during the affected period, you can retrieve your booking and change your flight, free of charge, to another date between now and November 30, 2024, based on the fare originally purchased. Otherwise, any fare difference will apply. Your new flight can be operated by Air Canada or by one of our codeshare partners.
If you choose to cancel your flight, you will receive a full refund.
Alternative destination
“You can choose to fly to/from another destination,” Air Canada said. “You will not be charged any change fees, but any fare difference will apply.”
A recent story in the New York Post said critics complain the refusal by the top three US airlines to fly to Israel since the 7OCT terrorist attack of 2023 has sent fares soaring for flights to TLV, and “has essentially led to an economic boycott that benefits its sworn enemy Iran.”
"Delta, United and American have upheld a nearly yearlong suspension of direct flights to Israel in the wake of the Hamas massacre, leaving national carrier El Al as the only airline offering non-stop service. Prices, however, have increased nearly threefold," the Post said.
