Back in 2020, US airlines removed change fees on all tickets departing from the US.

El Al shut down operations during the pandemic, and when they restarted, they removed change fees and allowed free cancellations to a voucher.

The free voucher program ended in 2023, but came back with a charge of $29 to add El Al Protect at the time of booking. The cost of El Al Protect went dynamic last year, with coach tickets costing between $20-$60 and business class tickets costing up to $100.

But next week, the other shoe will drop, when change fees will be added for tickets issued as of 12am Tuesday, Israel time.

If you book before 7/21, you’ll keep the current free change policy. However, if you make a change after 7/21 on a fully unused ticket, you will then be subject to the new rules.

There are 4 change fee charts, for flights between the Americas, Far East, Europe, and Greece/Cyprus. You can find the charts here.

Here are the charges for flights between Israel and the Americas:

In talks with a contact at El Al, the airline insists that this isn’t a cash grab. Especially on flights between the US and Israel, the airline has been selling every available seat. Close-in changes and cancellations are the only reason that flights don’t go out full, so this will help mitigate that and create more availability for travelers.

That’s a pretty charitable reading of the change, but it is understandable if there are indeed flights that are going out with empty seats. Perhaps a fairer system would be to continue to allow free changes up until a week or 2 before departure?

The El Al contact also notes that this change is competitive with other airlines in the market.

That’s certainly true in some cases, though not all. While United and Delta do have change fees for basic flights from the US to Tel Aviv, there are no change fees for non-basic flights. This policy isn’t competitive compared to that.

United does charge change fees from Tel Aviv to the US on most fares, but Delta, Air France, and KLM actually allow full refunds on flights from Tel Aviv to the US on all fares, up until the time of departure.

Of course, El Al has the upper hand now as US carriers have all suspended service to Tel Aviv. However, El Al doesn’t plan on removing change fees once US airlines return to the market. That’s not much of a surprise, as US airlines have been quick to cancel service to Tel Aviv over the past few years, and people will pay a premium for reliability.

Travel agents I spoke to are particularly annoyed by the change fees, as over the past few years, they have become accustomed to booking any available seat for clients and waitlisting them for sold-out flights. When the sold-out flight becomes available, the passenger is moved over for free. With the new system, that change would incur a change fee.

The new change fee will also certainly help the airline sell more Flex tickets and El Al Protect upgrades.

For a flight between NYC and Tel Aviv purchased in advance, El Al Protect costs $55, but will allow for free cancellations to a voucher up to 48 hours before departure, and the voucher can be used by anyone. Unfortunately, that won’t help much with changes, as you have to wait a couple of days or even a week before the voucher is issued in order to buy a new ticket.

It costs $135 one-way or $270 round-trip for an Economy Flex ticket for a flight between NYC and Tel Aviv. That will make changes free and refunds just $50 when done at least 24 hours before departure. It also includes El Al Protect, 2 full-size carry-on bags, and free extra legroom seating.

The airline doesn’t sell Premium or Business Flex fares, though with these changes, perhaps those will be added?

You can view your fare class and the cost of change fees in your El Al cart before payment is due:

Currently, the ticket above allows free changes more than 24 hours in advance or $170 for changes within 24 hours. You can buy it now to lock in that policy, but if you buy a flight under the new policy, it will cost $150 to change in advance or $200 to change within 24 hours.

Currently, it costs $400 to cancel a JFK to Tel Aviv Economy Classic flight and get a refund:

And currently, it costs $270 to cancel a Tel Aviv to JFK Economy Classic flight more than 24 hours in advance, and get a refund:

Under the new system, the price will be harmonized in both directions. It will cost $310 to cancel for a refund up until 24 hours before departure and $400 within 24 hours.

It’s worth noting that by law, all flights departing from Tel Aviv are fully refundable within 14 days of booking (4 months for new olim, the disabled, and people over 65), as long as you cancel 7 business days before departure, subject to a fee up to 100 shekels.

El Al shared the following statement with DansDeals about the change,

“EL AL periodically reviews and updates its change and cancellation fees to reflect evolving operating costs and market conditions.

At a time when demand remains very strong and many of our flights operate at high load factors, frequent changes and cancellations reduce seat availability for other customers and make it more difficult for travelers to book the flights they need. The updated policy is intended to provide greater certainty and stability for both our customers and our operations.

At the same time, EL AL continues to offer one of the more flexible policies in the market. Customers can purchase EL AL Protect at a fair price with their ticket, providing additional flexibility and peace of mind.

In addition, whenever security circumstances require it, EL AL publishes a dedicated policy that provides customers with the flexibility appropriate for the situation, including change and cancellation options beyond our standard policy.”

I’m never a fan of more junk fees. I understand where El Al is coming from, but I do wish the airline could have found a compromise path to ensure that seats aren’t going out empty due to late cancellations.

What do you think of this change?

HT: SHL, via DDF