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)
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14 Responses
I will continue to fly with ELAL exclusively! Great airline!
Zero toeles here. At best, Lashon Hara.
Read the room. American frum Jews are great at sounding like whiny spoiled babies, and we’re doing a great job of it here.
Take a chill pill. They are fighting a war. Duh. So your kid can’t fly when he wants. It’s ok.
With the utmost respect, and I apologize in advance from my crude insensitivity, but this video looks more forced than the Hamas hostage propaganda videos filmed in the tunnels under Gaza.
To all the people who just roll their eyes saying spoiled Americans, the lack of customer service and communication plus a complete failure of their system after making record profits from the last two years is unacceptable no matter what war is going on. You want to say they can’t fly too bad that’s fine. But don’t pretend you can and then screw everyone down the river
YWN is pathetic
Anything for a click – including disparaging people without proper diligence and posting pics of car crash victims (who would never want to be seen in that state)
Shame on them
Do any of these well intentioned parents understand that there is a WAR going on?
I have Israeli friends stuck in Thailand.
Use the stuff they teach in Yeshiva and Seminary to cope.
You can’t always get what you want when you want it.
Grow Up!
Why does it seem that YWN has something personal against ELAL?
I just want to say, my experience with the State Department was a breeze. I got a friendly person after just a few minutes on hold, they’re organized and efficient, and offered a rescue flight. When a government office is more efficient than a private company, you know it’s a bad company
To anyone affected by El Al or any airline during this war:
Spoiler: Airlines want to keep their customers!
They’re not trying to ruin their own reputation. In a time of war, they’re forced to make the fastest, most chaotic changes they’ve ever faced—and you just happen to be on the receiving end.
Sure, everyone can always do better. But instead of fixating on the fact that you don’t have a flight, consider this simple reality: during a conflict, flights might not run perfectly. The confusion can be overwhelming, and yes, people will have endless complaints—emotional, understandable, and sometimes loud.
Now, think about it: if you were running the airline and a sudden no-fly order came down, would you really push your planes down the runway anyway? Honestly?
Here’s what I would do: I’d follow the guidelines I’m given.
If that means staying in contact with my flyers every hour, I will do it. But if I can’t reach them when updates are needed, what’s the complaint—that I didn’t reschedule your flight?
Rescheduling a flight isn’t something an airline can just do on its own. Every passenger has different plans—connecting flights, work, visas, or family obligations. If the airline moved a flight without asking, it could create real problems for the passenger and make the airline look worse. That’s why the airline needs the passenger’s okay before making any changes—it’s not about rules, it’s about making sure nobody ends up in a bigger mess.
At the end of the day, wartime affects everyone. Airlines are doing what they can, with limited people, limited resources, and massive obstacles. Getting angry at them doesn’t help—you’re not just fighting schedules, you’re fighting reality.
Viktor Frankl, Holocaust survivor and psychologist, said it best: the only thing a person can always control is their attitude. You can’t control war, no-fly orders, or sudden cancellations—but you can control how you respond.
I wish you all the best, safety, and security.
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.?? ??? ???? ??? ?? ???? ?? ??? ?????.
I think ywn should volunteer and start your own airline that flies during a war and takesoff/lands planes in between missiles. No other airline in the world does this, so if you hate Kenny Rosenberg for not advertising on your platform (paying your fees)
just say so.
The headlines should read, “Passengers Describe Chaos, Cancellations, and Lack of Response as the War Takes a Painful Toll on Air Travel”
Frustration makes sense – that is normal. Being furious at El Al for being forced to cancel flights the last minute due to last-minute instructions from the government does not. In wartime, situations can become out of control, and even though El Al absoluely does want to fly and keep those flights, if they are ordered to cancel them, it is not within their control. They do need to inform all passengers instantly, but it is not always possible, and perhaps the system is not set up to handle the sheer number of changes in real time. They could do what all other airlines did – cancel all flights and offer no service. They opted not to do that because they WANT to be there for their customers. With limited manpower in an impossible situation, chaos develops. I was upset with them about the price gouging, but this is something else. All of you who don’t live in Israel – you have no idea was war means, because you’re not living it. Those of us who do know that our lives have turned upside down. The difficulty in air travel is just one of the challenges to deal with. How about no school, trying to work from home with the kids underfoot, waking up multiple times at night to run for shelter, as well as numerous times during the day… That includes El Al staff. Please be ???? ???? ?? ???? and give them some slack. ???? ??? ?????? – ???, ??? ??????!