Was your flight to or from Israel delayed or cancelled? Here is everything that matters – in plain language, no legalese.
In one minute: three things you're owed
- Help while you wait – food, drink, and if needed a hotel and transfers. Paid by the airline.
- Your money back or another flight – on a cancellation or long delay, you choose.
- Fixed cash compensation – for a short-notice cancellation or a delay of 8+ hours: up to ₪3,670 per passenger, whatever you paid for the ticket.
Which flights does this cover?
Israel's Aviation Services Law covers every flight that departs from Israel – on any airline, Israeli or foreign. It also covers flights that land in Israel on an Israeli airline. For flights to Israel on a foreign airline coverage is disputed, but many foreign airlines publish their own notice of rights under the Israeli law.
The rights belong to every passenger who bought a ticket – children and adults, Israeli citizens and visitors alike.
What you get, depending on what happened
| What happened | What Israeli law gives you |
|---|---|
| Delay of 2 hours or more | Assistance: food and drink in line with the wait, and two phone calls or messages. |
| Delay of 5 hours or more | All of the above, plus: you may give up the flight and get a full refund. |
| Delay of 8 hours or more, or a cancellation | Your choice of a full refund or an alternative flight, assistance (including a hotel and transfers if you must stay overnight), and usually cash compensation: ₪1,530 / ₪2,450 / ₪3,670 per passenger, depending on distance. |
| You were denied boarding (e.g. overbooking) | A refund or alternative flight, assistance and cash compensation – as for a cancellation. |
The amounts are updated every year; these are the 2026 figures. Distance: up to 2,000 km (e.g. Athens, Rome), 2,000–4,500 km (e.g. London, Paris), over 4,500 km (e.g. New York, Bangkok). If you were offered an alternative flight that arrived close to the original time, compensation may be halved.
When there is no cash compensation (but you still have rights)
The airline doesn't owe the cash compensation when:
- You were told about the cancellation 14 days or more before the flight.
- You were told later, but offered an alternative flight at close times.
- The cancellation was caused by extraordinary circumstances beyond the airline's control (e.g. extreme weather or security), or by a strike.
- The flight was cancelled to avoid desecrating Shabbat or Yom Tov. What you keep in that case
Important: even then, your refund and the assistance remain. The airline is only excused from the fixed compensation. All about full refunds
Flights to Europe, the UK and the US
- The EU regulation (EU261) covers flights departing from Europe, and flights to Europe on a European airline (e.g. Lufthansa, Wizz Air). It pays from an arrival delay of 3 hours: €250, €400 or €600 by distance. A reform was approved in 2026 and is expected to apply only from 2027; it keeps the 3-hour threshold.
- The UK rules (UK261) are similar: £220, £350 or £520.
- In the US there's no fixed compensation, but on flights to and from the US you get an automatic cash refund when the flight is cancelled or changed by more than 6 hours and you don't take an alternative.
You can't be paid twice for the same flight under two laws – you choose the better route. Our check tells you which law applies and which is better.
Rules worth remembering
- Cash, not vouchers. Compensation and refunds are paid in money. You don't have to accept a voucher or points.
- Deadlines: the airline must refund the ticket within 21 days, and pay compensation within 45 days of your written request.
- Keep everything: your ticket, messages from the airline, receipts for food, hotel and transfers.
- No help from the airline? Pay reasonably yourself and claim the expenses back, with receipts. And if there was no kosher food
- No answer, or a refusal? You can file a small claim, without a lawyer.
What to do now
- Check for free what you're owed for your flight – it takes a minute.
- Prepare the letter to the airline with the free claim kit.
- Send it through the airline's claim page.
- For the full details, including small claims – the full guide.
General information, not legal advice. EinTisa is not a law firm.