Summer is upon us and many Israelis have already purchased their summer vacation. During the high season, many Israeli and foreign airlines are unable to keep up with demand, and their planes are often insufficient. All Israeli airlines sell airline tickets, but in practice they are not the ones operating the same flights.
This is not a new phenomenon – leasing planes from foreign companies is a phenomenon that has existed for quite a few years and still causes quite a few Israelis discomfort at the moment of arrival on the plane. This is how it works – Israeli airlines (foreign companies do this too) sell flight tickets to many destinations and in practice use planes, pilots and crews of foreign airlines.
Airplane. Illustration, photo: GettyImages
In conversations with Israelis who book flights with Israeli airlines, they explain that they do so because they prefer to fly with an Israeli company, an Israeli pilot and an Israeli crew, and operating the flight by a foreign company causes some of them discomfort for a few reasons. Some argue that some chartered planes are also less comfortable for passengers and feel cramped and older.
It is important to emphasize that in many cases, the operation of the flight by another company is already indicated on the flight ticket. Not everyone sees it and it's even quite easy to miss it, but most bookings made by a foreign airline will say OPERATED BY and then the name of the airline that will operate the actual flight.
A plane in the sky (illustration), photo: Getty Images
"I deliberately booked with an Israeli company, my wife is afraid of flying and that's what calmed her down, that we fly with Israeli pilots and with an Israeli company and in the end I have to fly with another airline, we paid for an Israeli company more deliberately to be calm, it really sucks," one of the passengers whose flight will be operated by a foreign airline tells Israel Hayom.
The operation of Israeli flights by foreign airlines is becoming more extensive, as stated during the summer months and busy periods. In most cases, you can also check with your travel agent before booking to make sure that the flight is indeed operated by the airline you booked a flight with.
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