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Photo: Getty Images
El Al plane
Photo: Getty Images

Israeli pilots' campaign against El Al takes off

Organization of Israeli pilots appeals to transportation minister: ‘passengers were given an inferior product, unidentified planes, foreign technicians and pilots with unknown credentials;’ El Al: ‘The safety procedures and checks exist and the ground services are provided by El Al personnel.’

An Israeli organization of pilots is launching a campaign against El Al under the banner of “Israeli flights only with Israelis” in an effort to halt the selling of what are incorrectly believed by many Israeli passengers to be Israeli airline tickets.

 

 

Over the last few months the Israeli airline El Al leased seven planes from foreign airlines and has been selling flights to various destinations including central Europe and South American as “El Al flights.”

 

In the letter written by the organization representing the Israeli pilots to Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz, Captain Yossi Shuv claims that the matter amounts to consumer.

 

“For more than a year a ‘new airline’ has been operating in Israel, one that flies Israelis passengers and sells Israeli tickets—and it isn’t an Israeli company, the letter reads. “There are more than 10 leased planes in Israel’s skies. The passengers bought a ticket from an Israeli company, but in reality, without knowing it, they bought from a foreign airline, foreign crews and foreign planes.”

 

El Al plane (Photo: Getty Images)
El Al plane (Photo: Getty Images)

 

Shuv also pointed out that many Israelis choose Israeli airlines because of the Israeli flight attendant staff, and because of the fact that they believe the pilots to be the best and safest in the world.

 

“All this creates a premium and unique product. For all of this there is a price that the consumers are prepared to pay. In practice, the passengers were given an inferior product in the form of an unidentified plane, foreign technicians and pilots with unknown credentials.”

 

In response, El Al said that the company operates to ensure that passengers arrive at their destinations on time and to ensure that flights are not cancelled. “Unfortunately, due to the lack of available personnel for some of the flights, and in order to prevent the cancellation of flights, we employs accepted practices according to which we can be assisted by various aircraft fleets and other companies in order to implement the flight.”

 

El Al also added that the foreign companies are only selected if they meet the strict safety standards of El Al and have received all of the required approvals from the airport authorities. Moreover, the airline said that the leased flights are not devoid of Israeli service and cater for Jewish religious requirements.

 

“El Al staff join all of the flights in order to assist with the service. The safety procedures and checks exist...and the ground services are provided by El Al personnel. The food and the drinks are kosher and the service is identical to the service on El Al flights.”

 


פרסום ראשון: 09.29.16, 09:34
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