EL AL flight delay and cancellation compensation

EL AL flight delay compensation is commonly €400 or €600 per passenger, depending on distance, on flights leaving an EU/EEA or UK airport. You can claim when you reach your final destination three or more hours late. EL AL flights from Tel Aviv into Europe fall outside both EU261 and UK261, because EL AL is an Israeli carrier.

Is an EL AL flight from Tel Aviv to Europe covered by EU261?

EL AL is the flag carrier of Israel, hubbed at Tel Aviv, flying between Israel and Europe, North America and Asia. It is not an EU or UK carrier, so your rights depend on the airport you leave from, not on the airline.

Because EL AL holds no EU or UK licence, protection attaches to the departure airport only:

• Departing any EU/EEA airport on EL AL — EU261 applies, as it does to any operating carrier leaving Europe.
• Departing the UK on EL AL — UK261 applies.
• Arriving into the EU/EEA or the UK from Tel Aviv — not covered, because EL AL is not a Community carrier. Inbound flights need an EU airline under EU261, or a UK or EU airline under UK261.

A London, Paris, Rome or Frankfurt departure to Tel Aviv is protected; the return leg from Tel Aviv into Europe is not. EL AL's European routes are medium- to long-haul, so eligible claims commonly fall in the EUR 400 or EUR 600 band.

How much you could receive

The figure is set by route distance, not by the fare or the cabin, and each passenger with a confirmed booking claims separately.

• EUR 250 — flights of 1,500 km or less
• EUR 400 — flights of 1,500 to 3,500 km, where many EL AL flights between Europe and Tel Aviv fall
• EUR 600 — flights over 3,500 km

UK261 claims use GBP 220 / GBP 350 / GBP 520. Under Article 7(2), the airline may pay half the top figure where a re-routed long-haul flight arrives under four hours late.

When EL AL doesn't have to pay

No compensation is due where the airline proves extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided even with all reasonable measures — severe weather, ATC restrictions, airport closures, security alerts or a bird strike.

Two points are widely misunderstood:

• The airline carries the burden of proof. A one-line message citing "operational reasons" or security is an assertion, not evidence.
• A strike by EL AL's own staff is generally not extraordinary, whereas third-party strikes — ATC, airport handlers — usually are.

Routine technical faults found during ordinary maintenance normally remain the airline's responsibility.

What evidence do you need to claim from EL AL?

Keep the booking reference, boarding passes for each leg, and any message announcing the change. For a missed connection, note the actual arrival time at your final destination rather than the delay on the first sector.

We prepare and run the claim, follow it up and handle any appeal.

What does an EL AL claim cost?

The eligibility check is free. If we recover your compensation we charge a fixed EUR 39 success fee — the same whether you're owed EUR 250 or EUR 600 — and the airline's payment goes to you. No win, no fee.

How to claim EL AL compensation

Start with the flight itself. Our free flight check reads the recorded times for your EL AL flight and tells you which band it falls in, in about two minutes.

For the law behind the figure, the flight delay compensation guide covers arrival delays and the cancellation compensation guide covers a flight that never operated. If EL AL has already refused you, the case law summary sets out what the courts have said about the usual excuses.