DIN: El Al was the only airline flying to Israel for many months during the period and after October 7. Without El Al, it would have been impossible to fly between the US and Israel. If anything, El Al is owed appreciation and gratitude, not the law suit.
EL AL Israel Airlines is facing a potentially devastating class action lawsuit accusing the national carrier of exploiting wartime conditions to impose inflated ticket prices on Israeli and international passengers during the Iron Swords war. The lawsuit seeks a staggering 600 million shekels — roughly $169 million — in damages, alleging the airline abused its near-monopoly position after foreign carriers suspended flights to and from Israel following the Hamas massacre of October 7.
Israel Hayom reports that, filed in an Israeli court by attorney Ilan Vardnikov of the Pearl Cohen law firm, along with Dr. Tal Rotman and Adi Tzitron, the suit is supported by economic testimony from Prof. David Gilo, the former director of Israel’s Competition Authority. According to the petition, EL AL’s net profit surged to $554 million in 2024 — or $771 million when accounting for adjustments — compared to just $113 million in 2023. It was the airline’s most profitable year in over 15 years.
“EL AL was not satisfied with the enormous profits it generated legally during the state of emergency and war,” the suit argues. “It deliberately and knowingly chose to abuse its monopolistic power and harm consumers by inflating prices to unprecedented levels.”





