American Airlines announced that it will not be resuming flights to Israel until September 2025, extending the existing pause by an additional six months. This decision could potentially lead to other airlines delaying their regular Israel services as well.
This makes American Airlines the first U.S.-based carrier to postpone flights to Israel until at least the second half of 2025, joining a wave of cancellations affecting most non-Israeli airlines. As a result, American flights may be suspended through the upcoming High Holiday season and Sukkot, a popular time for travel to Israel.
Delta and its partner airlines currently have pauses on Israel flights until March, while United Airlines has not yet set a return date for its Israel flights.
Following Hamas’ attack on October 7, 2023, many carriers suspended flights to Israel and have delayed their return due to renewed security concerns, including regional conflicts with Lebanon and Iran. Some airlines resumed flights but then suspended them again amid escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, involving multiple missile barrages from Iran.
The limited availability of flights and their frequent interruptions have made traveling to and from Israel an expensive and chaotic process. To manage costs, many travelers are choosing to fly first to a European city with budget airlines before connecting to Israel. However, several budget European airlines, such as EasyJet and Ryanair, have also suspended service to Israel until at least spring 2025.
Currently, the Israeli carrier El Al is the only airline offering direct flights between the U.S. and Israel. El Al’s monopoly on this service since October 7 has led to an investigation into price gouging, prompting a policy change to fix flight rates to and from certain European cities.
In response to the situation, American Airlines stated that customers who already purchased flights can receive a full refund or exchange them for another airline, as reported by the Jewish News Syndicate.
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