Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, have cancelled flights to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport (TLV) in Israel due to unrest in the area.
On July 31st, a senior Hamas leader was killed in Iran via missile strike. Iran has vowed retaliation on Israel which has put the country on high alert. Because of this, airlines are taking precautions with the two U.S. based carriers cancelling flights and temporarily suspending service.
The airlines appear to be taking two different approaches to cancellations. Delta 234 between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Tel Aviv was cancelled yesterday and has been cancelled again today. Friday’s flight is currently scheduled to operate normally though I would expect them to continue to cancel day by day.
This isn’t great for travelers as it doesn’t provide them much time to make alternative arrangements until the last minute. El Al, the flag carrier of Israel is still flying between JFK and TLV and the two airlines have a codeshare agreement which may help travelers when it comes to rebooking.
United on the other hand has cancelled flights between Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and Tel Aviv through at least August 8th. When checking the status of the flight on United’s website, you receive the following message:
“Your flight is canceled due to unrest in the Middle East. Your safety is our first priority. We know this impacts your plans and we are sorry for the inconvenience.”
United Airlines
When trying to book flights beyond August 8th, the carrier seems to have zeroed out all availability on flights through August 31st. Both of the carriers daily flights between Newark and Tel Aviv appear set to resume on Saturday, September 1st. In the meantime, United is still selling connecting itineraries between the United States and Israel via its Star Alliance partners.
Summary
Delta and United have chosen to temporarily suspend service to Israel due to unrest in the area after a senior Hamas leader was killed in a reported missile strike. It remains to be seen how long the cancellations will last with United likely cancelling flights for the entirety of August.
