Since the outbreak of the ongoing war with Iran, El Al has come under withering criticism from passengers who say they have been left stranded, confused and unable to get help as they try to leave Israel.

Over the past several days, YWN has received a steady stream of complaints describing canceled flights, disappearing reservations, chaotic rebookings and customer service that has been nearly impossible to reach. On Wednesday morning, YWN asked readers to share their experiences. The response was overwhelming — hundreds of messages within hours, recounting deeply frustrating and sometimes distressing travel ordeals.

Passengers described flights canceled or rescheduled multiple times with little warning. Some said they received notifications only through WhatsApp; others said the airline’s app and website showed conflicting information.

One customer said his son was scheduled to fly from Tel Aviv to New York on March 9. The day before, he received a message warning the flight might not operate as planned. After responding that he wanted the ticket rebooked, the reservation was canceled with a message claiming the airline had not received a response. When he tried to claim a credit, the system told him the booking could not be found.

Others said they waited on standby lists for days before their flights were canceled outright, forcing them to purchase far more expensive tickets on other airlines or attempt complicated routes through Europe. One frequent flyer said he went to Ben Gurion Airport hoping to get on any available flight after repeated cancellations.

“The airport was chaos,” he wrote. “When I went to the counter to try and work things out, I came back and my three suitcases were gone. No one in the airport was able to help me find them.”

Another passenger described arriving at the airport after receiving confirmation she had been booked on a flight, only to learn hours later that it had been canceled and moved to a different date. “I waited four hours at the airport,” she wrote. “Finally I got to check in and found out my flight was canceled and it was my problem.”

The scene at Ben Gurion was tense. One traveler said the main level of Terminal 3 appeared almost deserted while the lower level was packed with passengers waiting in line for assistance or hoping to board rescue flights. “There were many people upset, yelling and crying trying to get on flights,” the passenger wrote.

Other complaints centered on vanishing reservations and last-minute schedule changes. One traveler said his confirmed booking disappeared entirely from the airline’s system after the war began. “My reservation vanished,” he wrote. “No more booking, no more priority due to prewar reservation.” Others said flights were pushed back repeatedly — in one case, nearly three weeks — with no explanation.

Communication failures compounded the frustration. Passengers said phone lines went unanswered, emails were ignored and messaging services provided little help. Many longtime El Al customers expressed disappointment that the airline — which has reported historic profits in recent years — appeared unprepared for the surge in demand.

“El Al has a long history of failing to provide support to customers trying to rebook canceled flights,” one reader wrote. “They do not answer their phones and their systems do not work reliably.”

Some passengers did report positive experiences, particularly with flight crews once they were able to board. Others said U.S. government evacuation flights helped them leave the country safely.

But the growing wave of complaints has clearly placed El Al under intense pressure. On Wednesday afternoon, the airline responded directly. In a video statement addressed to North American customers, El Al’s director of operations control center, Alon Lavi, acknowledged the frustration.

“You chose El Al because you trusted us to be there when it matters,” Lavi said. “This week you were disappointed, and we understand.”

He admitted that flights had been canceled, the airline’s systems had buckled under heavy demand and many passengers had been unable to reach customer service. “That was unacceptable, and we are sorry,” he said.

Lavi explained that the airline is operating under emergency conditions while coordinating with Israeli aviation and security authorities. The Israeli government, he said, has limited flights to 100 passengers per aircraft and restricted the number of flights that can operate each day. “We are pushing to increase the number every single day,” he said.

He added that as soon as new approvals are granted, the airline immediately adds flights and seats, and that El Al has stopped selling new tickets to the general public until all stranded passengers are assigned seats. Staff are working around the clock, he said, to restore normal operations. “Our mission is clear — to help those waiting to leave Israel return home, and to bring those who need to reach Israel safely back.”

For now, many travelers remain stuck, waiting for their next flight assignment — and watching closely to see whether El Al’s promised improvements materialize or the chaos continues.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)