Arkia Airline Faces Backlash Over Early Flight Change, Stranding Passengers

Passengers of the Israeli airline Arkia were left stranded in Athens after their flight to Israel was rescheduled to depart two hours earlier than planned, with notification allegedly arriving only one hour before the original departure time. According to passengers, the flight was initially moved to 11:00 AM, but later changed to 9:00 AM. Those who could not reach the airport in time missed the flight and were forced to find alternative travel arrangements. Passengers reported that Arkia provided no assistance in rebooking them on other flights. One passenger, Eden, described how she and others pleaded with airline staff at the airport for help, requesting any later flight and expressing willingness to wait at the airport if the airline could arrange their return. "We went to the counters, tried to talk to them, tried to contact them. We asked them to find us a later flight, it doesn't matter which one. We were ready to stay at the airport, as long as they organized a return flight for us. But they didn't take care of us, they didn't talk to us and didn't approach us themselves," Eden told Channel 13. Eden eventually purchased a new ticket for 3,000 shekels but has not received a refund or response from Arkia regarding the cost of the replacement ticket. Arkia attributed the incident to a technical malfunction, stating that a small number of passengers did not receive the notification due to the issue. The airline promised full refunds to passengers who had to buy alternative tickets. Aviation industry sources noted that such occurrences, particularly with charter airlines serving popular destinations, happen every few weeks. Under Israeli law, a flight rescheduled two hours earlier typically does not obligate the airline to pay compensation, unless it's moved more than five hours earlier. However, European Union passenger rights regulations, which apply to flights from Athens, consider a flight rescheduled more than one hour earlier as a cancellation, potentially entitling passengers to a refund or rebooking, and possibly compensation of 250 euros for shorter flights.