Flight delays and congestion at Ben Gurion Airport have angered passengers, and one of the companies that has recently drawn criticism is Arkia. CEO Oz Berlowitz points out, however, that delays and disruptions are not unique to Arkia
But there is a wave of complaints against you.
“People get upset when a company succeeds. In the past two years, Arkia has doubled its number of passengers and aircraft. Yesterday my sister flew from Paphos. I asked her, why didn’t you choose Arkia? She said it was full and she booked a ticket with Tus Airways. As soon as she got to the airport, they said there was a three-hour delay, and in the end they flew after six hours. Others have no fewer problems and delays than Arkia, and I do not rejoice at their misfortune. Last week, Channel 12 had a report on all the delays at Ben Gurion Airport. Arkia was No. 2 after El Al in operational punctuality.”
Arkia CEO Oz Berlowitz
(Photo: Avigail Uzi)
Still, I have not seen attacks like this on competitors.
“I do not know how to explain why. There are also interests. The campaign was started by a social media influencer whose family’s flight was delayed. I am not trying to minimize that, but it looks like an organized attack. I saw a post online saying, ‘Oz does not care about the passengers,’ with my picture. It became personal. The facts are that we are a company that flies 20 planes. We doubled our capacity. But one of the problems is that we have five sizes of aircraft, so we are less flexible, because if I have a faulty aircraft with 220 passengers, it cannot be replaced with a 120-passenger aircraft.”
Maybe the problem is that you make extensive use of foreign leased aircraft?
“All planes are the same, even if they are leased, like the ones we use. When you board a leased plane, you meet an Israeli flight attendant. You have to understand that there are many variables that cause delays. The U.S. military is still at Ben Gurion Airport, and in addition there is a shortage of manpower at Ben Gurion Airport and among ground services companies. We use an external company, and they face a huge challenge in recruiting employees.”
You do not have more delays than others?
“In total, no. Ninety-two percent of my flights depart on time.”
There were also complaints about a lack of real-time information for passengers regarding delays.
“I want to make clear that passengers who do not book a ticket through Arkia’s website or through a travel agent — meaning those who book through wholesalers who buy seats in advance, or through groups — we do not have their details and we have no way to notify them personally. Therefore, in the event of a delay, we notify the party from which they bought the ticket, and they do not always bother to inform the passenger.”
“Arkia is constantly recruiting customer service personnel. We operate human support by WhatsApp and by phone, but the number of representatives is not enough. I say candidly that Arkia’s systems do not provide an adequate customer service response, and they will be replaced in six months with an investment of about $10 million. But not everything depends on us. In the summer, there is significant congestion on air routes, especially in the Mediterranean basin.”
What are the conclusions from the recent incidents?
“We are constantly trying to improve. I am personally involved in managing the crises, not all of which depend on us, like the Greek radar that canceled seven of my flights that were stuck abroad and were not allowed to take off. It is clear that in the summer, the risk of a malfunction is higher. But above all, the goal is to maintain passenger safety.”
Maybe your rapid growth stretched your capabilities beyond the limit?
“I do not think so. Airlines need to fly a lot. Sometimes there are several events and they make a lot of noise. After all, those who depart on time do not talk.”