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American Airlines suspending flights to Israel until March 2025 amid the ongoing war in Gaza

The American Airlines logo is stands atop the American Airlines Center, Dec. 19, 2017, in Dallas.
Michael Ainsworth
/
AP
The American Airlines logo is stands atop the American Airlines Center, Dec. 19, 2017, in Dallas. The pilots' union at American Airlines says there has been “a significant spike” in safety issues at the airline, including fewer routine aircraft inspections and shorter test flights on planes returning from major maintenance work. A spokesman said Monday, April 15, 2024, that union officials have raised their concerns with senior managers and were encouraged by the company's response.

Fort Worth-based American Airlines will extend its suspension of flights to and from Tel Aviv as the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza rages on.

American will pause operations to and from Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport through March 29, 2025, the carrier said. Customers whose travel plans are affected can rebook without a fee or cancel and get a refund.

"We will continue to work closely with our partner airlines to assist customers traveling between Israel and European cities with service to the U.S.," an airline spokesperson wrote in a statement.

According to American Airlines, your change fee is waived if you:

  • Are traveling on an American Airlines flight
  • Are booked in any fare class, including Basic Economy
  • Bought your ticket by February 11, 2024
  • Are scheduled to travel October 7, 2023 - March 29, 2025
  • Can travel October 26, 2024 - April 29, 2025
  • Don't change your origin or destination city
  • Rebook in the same cabin or pay the difference
  • Cancel your trip and request a refund

All changes must be booked by March 29, 2025.

American Airlines, along with Delta Airlines and United Airlines, began suspending flights to and from Tel Aviv Oct. 7, 2023, the day of the Hamas-led attack on Israel that killed an estimated 1,200 people and began the war. More than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began, according to Palestinian authorities.

Delta flights between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and Israel are suspended through Aug. 31. United has resumed its flights to Israel.

Israel’s military announced Tuesday it has recovered the bodies of six hostages taken in the Oct. 7 attack. There are still more than 100 hostages held in Gaza, and about a third of them are believed to be dead, according to Israel.

Got a tip? Email Toluwani Osibamowo at tosibamowo@kera.org. You can follow Toluwani on X @tosibamowo.

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Toluwani Osibamowo covers law and justice for KERA News. She joined the newsroom in 2022 as a general assignments reporter. She previously worked as a news intern for Texas Tech Public Media and copy editor for Texas Tech University’s student newspaper, The Daily Toreador, before graduating with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. She was named one of Current's public media Rising Stars in 2024. She is originally from Plano.