El Al flight delay compensation
Under Israel's Aviation Services Law, El Al owes ₪1,530, ₪2,450 or ₪3,670 per passenger by distance for a delay of eight hours or more, or for a cancellation notified within fourteen days. The airline must reply to a written demand within twenty-one days.
Work out what El Al owes you →What El Al owes, by distance
| Distance of the flight | Compensation per passenger |
|---|---|
| Up to 2,000 km | ₪1,530 |
| 2,000–4,500 km | ₪2,450 |
| Over 4,500 km | ₪3,670 |
When it applies: Delay of 8 hours or more, cancellation notified less than 14 days ahead, or denied boarding. The figures come from Aviation Services Law (Compensation and Assistance), 5772-2012 and are per passenger, including children on their own ticket.
How to claim, in four steps
- Confirm the amount. Put the route, the date and the length of the delay into the calculator. It applies every statute that covers the flight and shows which one pays most.
- Write the demand. The calculator produces a dated letter citing Aviation Services Law (Compensation and Assistance), 5772-2012 by article, addressed to El Al Israel Airlines Ltd.. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
- Send it through the official route. Submit it through El Al's own form below, and keep a copy. A claim that exists only in a phone call cannot be proved later.
- Escalate if the answer is a refusal or silence. The calculator writes a chaser and then an escalation letter naming the national enforcement body for the departure country.
Where to send it — El Al's own claim pages
- Aviation Services Law — passenger rights (Hebrew)
- Aviation Services Law — summary (PDF, Hebrew)
- Aviation Services Regulations (PDF, Hebrew)
A flight from Tel Aviv to an EU airport can fall under both the Israeli Aviation Services Law and EU261 when operated by an EU carrier. Where both apply, claim under the one that pays more — the calculator works that out and says why.
The refusals El Al sends, and what answers them
“Technical fault / unexpected maintenance issue”
A technical problem inherent in the normal exercise of the carrier's activity is not an extraordinary circumstance. The Court of Justice settled this in Wallentin-Hermann v Alitalia (C-549/07) and confirmed it in van der Lans v KLM (C-257/14), where a component failing before its expected life was still held to be part of ordinary operations. Ask the airline to identify the defect and explain why it falls outside that case law.
“The delay was under the statutory threshold”
Under the Israeli Aviation Services Law the clock runs on the actual difference against the scheduled time, and a cancellation notified less than 14 days ahead carries compensation regardless of the length of the delay. Ask for the scheduled and actual times in writing.
A travel voucher instead of money
Article 7(3) allows payment in vouchers only with your signed agreement. You may refuse and insist on a bank transfer, and you keep the right to do so after you have already been offered a voucher. A voucher is worth less than cash and usually expires.
Silence
Silence is not a defence. Send a second letter that sets a deadline, states that you will escalate, and names the national enforcement body for the departure country. Stage 3 of the calculator writes both the chaser and the escalation letter.
How long you have
Seven years under Israeli limitation law, and the airline must answer a written demand within 21 days.
Questions
How much does El Al pay for a delayed flight?
₪1,530 for up to 2,000 km, ₪2,450 for 2,000–4,500 km, ₪3,670 for over 4,500 km under Aviation Services Law (Compensation and Assistance), 5772-2012. The band is set by the distance of the flight, not by what the ticket cost.
Does El Al have to pay if the delay was a technical fault?
A technical problem inherent in the normal exercise of the carrier's activity is not an extraordinary circumstance. The Court of Justice settled this in Wallentin-Hermann v Alitalia (C-549/07) and confirmed it in van der Lans v KLM (C-257/14), where a component failing before its expected life was still held to be part of ordinary operations. Ask the airline to identify the defect and explain why it falls outside that case law.
Do I have to accept a voucher?
No. Article 7(3) permits payment in vouchers only with your signed agreement, so you can decline one and ask for a bank transfer instead.
How long do I have to claim?
Seven years under Israeli limitation law, and the airline must answer a written demand within 21 days.
Open the calculator with El Al selected →
Claiming against a different airline
- Ryanair flight delay compensation — EU Regulation 261/2004
- Wizz Air flight delay compensation — EU Regulation 261/2004
- easyJet flight delay compensation — UK Regulation 261 (retained EU law)
- Lufthansa flight delay compensation — EU Regulation 261/2004
- British Airways flight delay compensation — UK Regulation 261 (retained EU law)
- Air France flight delay compensation — EU Regulation 261/2004
- KLM flight delay compensation — EU Regulation 261/2004
- Turkish Airlines flight delay compensation — SHY-Passenger (Turkish civil aviation passenger rights regulation)
- Iberia flight delay compensation — EU Regulation 261/2004
- Vueling flight delay compensation — EU Regulation 261/2004
- Aer Lingus flight delay compensation — EU Regulation 261/2004
- TAP Air Portugal flight delay compensation — EU Regulation 261/2004
- ITA Airways flight delay compensation — EU Regulation 261/2004
- Eurowings flight delay compensation — EU Regulation 261/2004