A question from a friend

He bought a U class ticket on the web site for 345$ to muc
He has to do a dental operation 3 days before the flight and the DR gave
him a letter to confirm that it is not so wize to fly in his condition
Ly refuse to refund but agreed to hold the Ticket for a 120$

does my frind have a case because of medical problem to cancel the flight?

I understand that U class is very very low class so it gets all the restrictions

Any advice?

Thanks
liorM

Lior,

If your friend purchased trip cancellation insurance then they can make a claim against the insurance carrier and get a refund per the policy terms. However, barring private trip cancellation insurance coverage, it is entirely up to the airline whether or not to refund them and how much, at least in the United States.

You should ask your friend to consult with an Israeli legal expert who may find an exception to that general rule under requisite Israeli law. Even if some exception can be found, it is likely not worth pursuing it as the legal costs would far outweigh the value of the funds sought to be recovered.

In my opinion, your friend should write a deferential letter to the customer service manager, attach the doctors note, and ask for a voucher in the amount of the ticket value to be used on a future EL AL flight.

When did he buy the ticket? He has two weeks to cancel under Israeli consumer protection law (but no later than 7 working days before travel commences)

Does this also apply for bookings made abroad for trips starting abroad by people living abroad?

Does one get a 100% refund?

How is this refund requested, is calling the ELAL reservation call centre enough?

I would guess it applies because the company is Israeli so they follow Israeli law

Cancellation penalty is 100 Shekel or 5% of the deal (the lower of them)

It applies to any long distance transaction performed in Israel so whether it applies when done from abroad on LY's website is question of legal construction. I am not sure what the answer is.

Could Liat perhaps shed some light?
Also nobody seems to know if these refunds can simply be requested by valling the call centre.

Hi,
I'll check and get back to you on that.

Liat.

Thanks Liat

Hi,
Sorry again for the late response, I hope the issue hasn't lost its relevancy.
Basically, every ticket has it's own T&C.
From what I was told, your friend can be offered to have the ticket on hold for him, and in case the new date will require an extra payment - he would have to pay the difference + change fee.

Refunds can be made through the call center, that is for sure.

In any case, if you need further assistance - contact me via p/m.

Liat.

Thanks

Too late, but thanks

Lior

How did he solve it then?

Liat

I think for future reference people on here would like to know about how to cancel under the Israeli consumer protection law. Is it enough to call or does one need to send an email, etc.? Also does it apply to online transactions made on www.elal.co.il where the trip originates outside Israel?