Summary - Passenger rights under the Israel Aviation Services Law

Aviation Services Law (Compensation and Assistance for Flight Cancellation or Change of Conditions)‚ 5772-2012 ("the law")

The document below is a summary presented for passenger convenience only and is not exhaustive. To view the full provisions of the law‚ please click here. In case of conflict between this summary and the provisions of the law‚ the provisions of the law shall prevail.

General conditions

1. The law establishes a number of grounds that‚ upon the occurrence of one‚ will entitle the passenger to compensation/benefits of the type and rate prescribed by the law. The grounds are: (1) refusal to transport a passenger on a flight; (2) delayed flight; (3) flight whose departure time was brought forward; (4) cancelled flight (each‚ provided the related criteria apply‚ shall be called a "qualifying ground").
2. In addition to the existence of a qualifying ground‚ in order to be entitled to compensation/benefits in accordance with the law‚ the passenger must appear at the check-in counter at the determined time for this (except in the case of flight cancellation). For your convenience‚ updates on the required arrival time at each of the airports in which we operate can be found here.
3. Notwithstanding the above‚ a passenger will not be entitled to compensation/benefits in accordance with the law if one of the following conditions is met: (1) the passenger was notified of assignment to another flight and arrived at the final destination at the original time; (2) the ticket was booked free of charge or purchased at a special fare not offered to the general public.
4. The law also applies‚ mutatis mutandis‚ to domestic flights. For these flights‚ the compensation rate is NIS 300‚ in accordance with the Aviation Services Regulations (Compensation and Assistance for Flight Cancellation or Change of Conditions) (Domestic Flights)‚ 5773-2013 or another amount as updated in these regulations from time to time.
5. The types of compensation/benefits under the law are briefly detailed below. For details regarding entitlement for each of the compensation/benefits‚ please go to the section dealing with the relevant qualifying ground.

"Alternate flight"

An alternate ticket to the final destination under conditions similar to those of the original ticket conditions‚ at the earliest possible time (or later‚ in coordination with the passenger)‚ subject to available seats.

"Assistance services"

A collective name for the following services: food and beverages in accordance with the waiting time; accommodations - as required‚ hotel accommodations‚ for a stay of one night or more; transportation - as required‚ transportation services or reimbursement of reasonable expenses; communication services.

"Reimbursement of consideration"

Reimbursement of the amount paid for the ticket (or‚ if the qualifying ground occurred on the return flight – half the consideration paid for the full ticket). Notwithstanding the above‚ where a passenger chose to use an alternate flight offered thereto‚ or to fly on a flight where a qualifying ground occurred‚ the passenger be entitled only to reimbursement of reasonable travel expenses as required in order to arrive at or return to/from another airport.

"Monetary compensation"

Monetary compensation of NIS 1‚530 for international flights and NIS 300 for domestic flights‚ or in the amount stated in the law at the time the qualifying ground occurred.

Details of qualifying grounds; compensation/benefits for each qualifying ground under the law

1. Refusal to transport a passenger on a flight

1.1 There may be cases where‚ due to unforeseen constraints‚ we will be forced to refuse to transport a passenger on a flight despite holding a valid ticket. In such case‚ we will attempt to reach an agreement with the passengers regarding waiving a place on the flight in exchange for agreed consideration.

1.2 Passengers whose transport we were forced to refuse and who did not agree to waive their place on the flight in exchange for agreed compensation‚ will be entitled to the following compensation/benefits: (1) alternate flight or reimbursement of consideration‚ at passenger choice; (2) assistance services; (3) monetary compensation.

1.3 Notwithstanding the provisions of this section‚ if the following cumulative conditions are met‚ the amount of monetary compensation to which the passenger is entitled will be reduced by half if the passenger chose an alternate flight‚ where the difference between the original and alternate landing time does not exceed four hours.

1.4 The provisions of this section shall not apply where the refusal stemmed from one of the following: (1) security reasons; (2) health condition; (3) concern for flight safety; (4) the passenger does not have valid travel documents.

Notwithstanding the above‚ a passenger who was refused for security reasons may be entitled to monetary compensation if all the following conditions are met: the passenger (1) arrived at the airport at least 3 hours before departure; (2) cooperated with the security check and was cleared to fly; (3) holds valid travel documents.