El Al compensation: which flights are covered and which are not
El Al Israel Airlines is Israel's flag carrier, based at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv. We have handled claims for more than 50 El Al passengers, mainly on flights from Paris, London, Warsaw and Larnaca to Tel Aviv. A long delay, a late cancellation or being bumped can be worth ā¬250, ā¬400 or ā¬600 per person, but only on some of El Al's flights.
As an Israeli airline, El Al is a non-EU carrier. Regulation (EC) 261/2004 applies to it only on flights departing from an airport in the EU, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland. Flights from Tel Aviv to Europe are not covered by the EU rules. Departures from the UK fall under UK261, the British version of the same scheme. On covered flights every passenger can claim, whatever their nationality, Israeli citizens included.
Delay from Europe
Your El Al flight from an EU or UK airport reached its final destination at least three hours late.
3 hours or moreCancellation
El Al cancelled your outbound flight with less than 14 days' notice.
Under 14 daysDenied boarding
You checked in on time with a confirmed seat, yet the flight was full and you stayed behind.
Payable at onceNo compensation
Israeli airspace closed for security reasons, severe weather or an air traffic control strike.
Extraordinary circumstancesDid your flight leave from Europe or from Tel Aviv? Check your El Al flight and we will tell you which rules apply.
How much El Al pays per passenger
Distance decides the amount, not the fare:
| El Al route | Rules | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| LarnacaāTel Aviv (up to 1,500 km) | EU Regulation | ā¬250 |
| ParisāTel Aviv, WarsawāTel Aviv (1,500ā3,500 km) | EU Regulation | ā¬400 |
| London LutonāTel Aviv (over 3,500 km) | UK261 since 2021 | Ā£520 |
| Tel AvivāParis, Tel AvivāLarnaca, any flight out of Israel | Not covered by EU or UK rules | ā |
London departures up to 31 December 2020 still came under the EU Regulation, worth ā¬600. Each passenger claims separately and children with their own seat count in full: a family of four on a ParisāTel Aviv flight arriving four hours late is owed ā¬1,600.
Delayed El Al flight: what to do
More than half of the El Al claims we see involve delays, mostly on flights from Paris and London to Tel Aviv. The clock stops when the aircraft doors open at your destination. Practical steps:
- Arrive early for security: El Al asks passengers to be at the airport around three hours before departure, and being held up at screening through your own lateness gives no rights.
- Keep your boarding pass from the El Al app or a photo of the paper one.
- Write down the reason announced at the gate and save texts and emails.
- Keep receipts for meals, transport and hotels if no care was offered.
- Do not swap cash for Matmid points or vouchers until you know what you are owed.
Meals and hotels while you wait
On covered flights El Al must provide food and drink and, for an overnight delay, a hotel and transfers:
| Distance | Care from |
|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km (e.g. Larnaca) | 2 hours |
| 1,500ā3,500 km (e.g. Paris, Warsaw) | 3 hours |
| Over 3,500 km (e.g. London) | 4 hours |
| Delay over 5 hours | You may cancel the trip and get a refund |
Missed connection in Tel Aviv
On a single booking from Europe, say LondonāTel AvivāBangkok, the delay at your final destination is what counts, and the amount is based on the whole distance. With separate tickets, only the flight from Europe is assessed. More on our page about the delayed El Al flight.
Cancelled El Al flight: refund and compensation
Roughly a third of our El Al claims concern cancellations. Two different rights apply:
Owed on every cancelled departure from Europe, even when security or an airspace closure is the cause.
Added when notice was under 14 days and no extraordinary circumstance was to blame.
| Notice given | Compensation |
|---|---|
| 14 days or more | No, only a refund or rerouting |
| 7 to 13 days | Yes, unless the replacement left no more than 2 hours early and landed less than 4 hours late |
| Under 7 days | Yes, unless the replacement left no more than 1 hour early and landed less than 2 hours late |
Schedule changes. A big retiming announced shortly before departure can count as a cancellation. Full details on the cancelled El Al flight page.
El Al overbooking and security checks
More than one in ten of our El Al claims involves denied boarding, an unusually high share. If the flight was oversold and you met the check-in deadline, compensation is due immediately, as well as a new flight. It is not due if boarding was refused on reasonable security grounds or because of invalid travel documents. See our guide to El Al overbooking and denied boarding.
El Al strikes: who pays
If El Al's own pilots or cabin crew walk out and your flight from Europe is disrupted, compensation is normally payable: a strike by the airline's staff is part of its ordinary business (EU Court of Justice, case C-28/20). A strike by air traffic controllers or staff at the departure airport is an extraordinary circumstance.
El Al refused to pay? Common replies
Faults found during routine maintenance are the airline's own risk, long-haul Boeings included.
EU Court of Justice, case C-549/07On departures from the EU the European Regulation applies to every passenger, whatever their passport.
El Al does not fly on Shabbat. If the knock-on delay started with a fault or a scheduling problem of its own, the right usually survives.
A closure ordered by the authorities is outside El Al's control. Refund, rerouting and care still apply.
Return flights from Tel Aviv and Sun d'Or
The most common misunderstanding is about the way home. A Tel AvivāLondon or Tel AvivāParis flight operated by El Al is not covered by the EU Regulation or UK261, because it leaves a non-EU country on a non-EU airline; Israeli rules, which are different and less generous, apply instead. Holiday flights sold under the Sun d'Or brand, the group's tour company, use El Al aircraft: when they depart from Europe, the same rights apply.
How to claim from El Al: yourself or with us
You can contact El Al's customer service through elal.com, quoting your flight number, booking reference and passenger names.
You deal with an airline headquartered in Israel. If it refuses, you go to the national enforcement body of the country where the flight departed (in the UK, the CAA) or to court, at your own expense.
Give us the flight details and sign online. We handle the claim, the formal demand and any court case with our own lawyers. No win, no fee: 25% + VAT, and legal costs are ours even if a case is lost.
If El Al has already rejected you
Forward us the reply: where the reasoning does not hold, we start again with a formal letter before action.
What to have ready
- Ticket or boarding passShowing the LY flight number.
- PassportFor each passenger, children too.
- El Al messagesDelay, cancellation or retiming notices, plus receipts.
Time limits
The Regulation sets no deadline: the limitation period depends on the country where you claim (EU Court of Justice, case C-139/11). Flights from a few years back are often still in time: enter the date.
How long El Al takes to pay
If El Al accepts the claim, payment typically arrives within a few weeks. If it refuses, a formal demand and sometimes proceedings before a European court are needed, adding a few months. Once we receive the money we transfer your share: ā¬173.75 out of ā¬250, ā¬278 out of ā¬400.
Lost or damaged luggage with El Al
Bags are covered by the Montreal Convention, including on flights from Tel Aviv. Fill in a Property Irregularity Report at the airport and send a written claim within 7 days for damage, or within 21 days of delivery for delayed bags.
El Al contact details and flight status
- Head office
- El Al Israel Airlines Ltd., Ben Gurion Airport, Israel
- Complaints
- Online customer service channels on elal.com
- Frequent flyer
- Matmid
- Flight status
- El Al app or official website
Ryanair
Wizz Air
Vueling