El Al Faces Class Action Lawsuits Over Prague Flight Operations

Two separate class action lawsuits have been filed against El Al Israel Airlines following the airline's decision to operate its flights to Prague via its subsidiary, Sun D'Or. The lawsuits, one of which was submitted to the Haifa District Court, allege that passengers who booked flights with El Al were misled when the airline later announced that the route would be operated by Sun D'Or starting November 15, 2026. Plaintiffs claim they chose El Al over other carriers, often paying a higher price, due to its reputation, service standards, Israeli crew, and departure from Terminal 3, including the convenience of a direct jet bridge boarding. They argue they would not have made the purchase, or would not have paid the same price, had they known the flight would be operated by Sun D'Or.

One plaintiff detailed her attempt to cancel her ticket after learning of the change. She was reportedly informed by El Al that cancellation would incur a "Prague procedure" fee of $190 per ticket. The lawsuits contend that the transfer of flights to Sun D'Or was a business decision driven by economic considerations, not a result of security situations or force majeure. Plaintiffs assert that El Al should have disclosed this information to customers at the time of booking, allowing them to know who would actually operate the flight they were paying for.

The first lawsuit was filed after passengers received notification on October 25, 2026, about the change effective November 15, 2026. A second class action request concerning the same issue was filed on October 27, 2026. These legal proceedings follow initial passenger complaints that arose immediately after the decision to transfer the route was announced. El Al stated that it had not yet received the class action request and would study it and submit its response to the court upon receipt.