What a Chutzpah El Al- SHAME ON YOU!!
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: New York, NY
Programs: CO Platinum, Hyatt Platinum
Posts: 351
What a Chutzpah El Al- SHAME ON YOU!!
Cousins of mine show up at JFK 9:15 PM Saturday night for LY 11:50 PM flight. Sabbath ended 8:00 roughly so earliest you could make it from Brooklyn is in the area of 9 PM. So they wait online, finally their turn to check in and alas "we don't have seats for you". Albeit they booked their tickets 10 months prior, probably earlier than the majority of the pax on the flight.
No explanation, no offer to rebook, nada. What about the fact they have hotel reservations for the whole family for Passover...oh right El Al doesn't care. I have no problem with an airline overbooking by 45 to ensure they go out full and don't lose revenue, but what about a plan? They had months to work on re-route options with other carriers.
The good news is Continental just got 2 more 6-10X yr TLV pax.
Happy Passover to all!
Avi
No explanation, no offer to rebook, nada. What about the fact they have hotel reservations for the whole family for Passover...oh right El Al doesn't care. I have no problem with an airline overbooking by 45 to ensure they go out full and don't lose revenue, but what about a plan? They had months to work on re-route options with other carriers.
The good news is Continental just got 2 more 6-10X yr TLV pax.
Happy Passover to all!
Avi
#4
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: NYC
Programs: CO - silver, dl plat, spg plat, Marriot plat
Posts: 470
All that aside, this is still ridiculous. I do have one more idea though. For whatever reason El Al may have thought the the pax may now present some sort of security risk. I have had this happen to a friend of mine (he is extremely religious, and looks it, used to make the same number of flights, many of them in B, and had Matmid status.) He had one thing going against him, his last name was Arab, family of sephardic origin. One day he was flying out of TLV and when he went to check in, he was told that there was a problem and his reservation has been deleted. After having some personal friends work some official and unofficial channels he was able to fly standby. He went from front of B to back of Y (and this is when they still had the smoking section.)
#5
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: GVA
Programs: miles & more
Posts: 192
For whatever reason El Al may have thought the the pax may now present some sort of security risk. I have had this happen to a friend of mine (he is extremely religious, and looks it, used to make the same number of flights, many of them in B, and had Matmid status.) He had one thing going against him, his last name was Arab, family of sephardic origin. One day he was flying out of TLV and when he went to check in, he was told that there was a problem and his reservation has been deleted. After having some personal friends work some official and unofficial channels he was able to fly standby. He went from front of B to back of Y (and this is when they still had the smoking section.)
Is this really the best way to build a great "image"...? But that's the problem: as long as El Al will not understand that its passengers are CUSTOMERS who are not obliged to fly El Al, and as long as El Al will not treat them accordingly, which means with respect instead of crude chutzpa, it won't work...and El Al will remain in trouble.
#6
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: 30,000 Feet
Programs: LY Top Platinum, AA Platinum, Hertz President's Circle
Posts: 863
Cousins of mine show up at JFK 9:15 PM Saturday night for LY 11:50 PM flight. Sabbath ended 8:00 roughly so earliest you could make it from Brooklyn is in the area of 9 PM. So they wait online, finally their turn to check in and alas "we don't have seats for you". Albeit they booked their tickets 10 months prior, probably earlier than the majority of the pax on the flight.
#7
Join Date: Oct 2005
Programs: EL AL Gold, BA Gold, LH M&M
Posts: 1,050
Did they get some compensation?
I am sure they got compensation if they came to airport on time.
I have a flight on sunday the 15th, it seems the whole day the flights are overbooked.
These are the good occasions to check in online.
I am sure they got compensation if they came to airport on time.
I have a flight on sunday the 15th, it seems the whole day the flights are overbooked.
These are the good occasions to check in online.
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: New York, NY
Programs: CO Platinum, Hyatt Platinum
Posts: 351
#9
Join Date: Oct 2005
Programs: EL AL Gold, BA Gold, LH M&M
Posts: 1,050
A free ticket?
Thats not bad, was that only given because they missed the Seder or do they always offer free ticket when they bump you off.
I wonder if you can convince them to give 1400 matmid points instead!
Thats not bad, was that only given because they missed the Seder or do they always offer free ticket when they bump you off.
I wonder if you can convince them to give 1400 matmid points instead!
#11
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Kfar Saba, Israel
Posts: 4,172
Originally Posted by AVIZ
No explanation, no offer to rebook, nada. What about the fact they have hotel reservations for the whole family for Passover...oh right El Al doesn't care. I have no problem with an airline overbooking by 45 to ensure they go out full and don't lose revenue, but what about a plan? They had months to work on re-route options with other carriers.
Originally Posted by AVIZ
they did not make it. only compensation was a free ticket... they lost money on car and hotel res
Airlines generally do not compensate you for your ground arrangements not made through them as well as connecting flights that are not booked though them. They are responsible to get you from point A to point B as soon as they can after you get bumped off your flight and offer some compensation if that takes longer than 4 hours.
If LY offered them a free ticket that's way more generous than what one will usually get when being bumped for overbooking.