Scenes of confusion and anger erupted at Ben Gurion Airport on Monday after travelers who had purchased tickets discovered they could not board their flights despite the airport reopening for outbound travel.
Passengers arriving for departures were stunned to learn that the number of travelers allowed on each flight had been abruptly reduced overnight, leaving hundreds of ticket holders without seats.
The turmoil stemmed from a sudden reversal of wartime aviation guidelines issued amid the ongoing conflict. Just a day earlier, authorities had approved a policy allowing airlines to increase passenger capacity from 100 travelers per flight to 200, a move intended to help clear the backlog of people trying to leave the country.
Airlines quickly acted on the new policy, selling additional tickets to hundreds of customers who had been waiting on standby or reservation lists.
But overnight, the policy was quietly reversed.
By the time passengers began arriving at the airport Monday morning, the cap had been reinstated at 100 passengers per flight, leaving airlines scrambling to determine which travelers would be allowed to board and which would be turned away.
With far more passengers holding tickets than there were available seats, airline staff were forced to make decisions on the spot at check-in counters.
The result was widespread frustration that quickly spilled over into confrontations.
Videos filmed inside the terminal showed shouting matches and pushing between frustrated travelers and airport personnel. In some cases, police were called in to restore order as tempers flared.
“There are elderly people here. Why are you doing this? Take responsibility,” one passenger could be heard shouting at an airline employee.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
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4 Responses
What is the difference if a plane taking off has a hundred or 200 people on it once you’re clearing it to leave? This is all stupidity
rebEmes,
They just don’t want so many people in the airport terminal. Remember, the airport is a definite target and they really do not have enough place for thousand people to run to ???? ???? and then to deal with the hysteria that travellers would bring about. So, in reality, it is a legitimate safety concern.
Although I think there is no difference between 100 or 200 passengers apparently the reason is due to the fact that if there would be a siren whilst the plane was on the runway or taxiing, it would take too long for 200 people to evacuate the plane but 100 is manageable.
Planes on the ground are targets for missile attacks! The longer it stays there the greater the risks. I too finally managed to get back to Israel on an El Al flight despite MUCH frustration. Wake up- there’s a war going on. I thank Hashem for allowing me to return home safely. I thank ElAl for their heroic efforts and dedication to help us return when all other airlines simply bailed out. Have a little ?? ?????. Sending this comment from my mamad under another missile attack. Time for all of Clal Yisroel to pray for the safety of all Jews and especially to our IDF soldiers putting their lives on the line for all of us.?? ??? ???? ??? ?? ???? ?? ??? ?????.