Arkia Faces Backlash After Advancing Flight, Stranding Passengers
Translated & summarized from Ice by baba
Arkia is facing criticism after advancing a flight from Athens to Israel by two hours with only one hour's notice, causing several passengers to miss their flight. One passenger, Eden, had to pay 3,000 shekels for a new ticket and has not received a refund. Arkia cited a technical issue and promised reimbursement for those who bought new tickets. While Israeli law may not require compensation for such a short delay, EU regulations consider advancing a flight by over an hour a cancellation, potentially entitling passengers to refunds and compensation.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Arkia advanced a flight from Athens to Israel by two hours, notifying passengers only one hour before the new departure time.
- Several passengers missed their flight and were left stranded at Athens airport.
- One passenger, Eden, paid 3,000 shekels for a new ticket and has not received a refund from Arkia.
- Arkia cited a technical malfunction and promised reimbursement for passengers who purchased alternative tickets.
- EU regulations may entitle passengers to refunds and compensation if a flight is advanced by more than one hour.
Passengers booked on an Arkia flight from Athens to Israel were left stranded at Athens airport on Sunday after the airline significantly advanced their flight departure time with little notice. Initially informed their flight was delayed until 11 AM, passengers later received a notification that the departure was moved up to 9 AM. However, according to reports and passenger accounts, the update about the earlier departure was sent only an hour before the plane was scheduled to leave.
Many passengers who did not receive the last-minute notification missed their flight. One passenger, Eden, described the chaotic scene at the airport, stating that attempts to get assistance from Arkia staff to find alternative flights were unsuccessful. "We went to the counters, tried to talk to them, tried to communicate with them, 'try to find us a later flight, no matter what, we'll stay at the airport, just arrange a flight back for us.' They didn't arrange anything for us, didn't talk to us, didn't approach us," Eden recounted.
Eden eventually purchased a new ticket herself for 3,000 shekels but has not yet received a response or refund from Arkia. "I ended up paying 3,000 shekels for this return flight. The money went to waste because I have no answer from Arkia, no refund from Arkia, no one to talk to at Arkia. I'm not demanding compensation, I just demand the money back for my flight," she said.
Arkia issued a statement attributing the issue to a technical malfunction that prevented a small number of passengers from receiving the updated flight time. The airline assured that passengers who had to buy alternative tickets would be fully reimbursed. Aviation industry sources noted that such incidents, while serious, are not uncommon, particularly with charter flights to Greek islands, occurring every few weeks.
Legally, Israeli law may not obligate compensation for flight advancements of less than five hours. However, under European Union regulations, which apply to flights departing from Athens, the EU Court of Justice has ruled that advancing a flight by more than one hour constitutes a "cancellation" for the purpose of passenger rights. This entitles passengers to choose between a refund or re-routing, and potentially compensation of 250 euros for flights up to 1,500 km, in addition to a refund.
