Aviation industry sources claim that the recent American Airlines decision to cease flights to Israel is the result of the U.S. carrier’s ties with Arab airlines.
The airline had announced that it would stop its flights from Philadelphia to Tel Aviv beginning in January 2016 due to financial considerations.
Casey Norton, a spokesman for American Airlines, told Bloomberg News that the carrier has lost $20 million last year on the route alone. But aviation sources told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that the actual reason for the route’s impending closure is the airline’s participation in the OneWorld alliance, whose members include Arab airlines like Qatar Airways and Royal Jordanian as well as Malaysia Airlines (Malaysia is a Muslim-majority nation).
“Profitability wasn’t a problem. The past year hasn’t been easy for the airline industry in general, but that’s far from saying that the route wasn’t profitable. No one would have operated a money-losing route for so many years,” an anonymous industry source said, Haaretz reported.
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{Matzav.com}
Any out-of-towner will tell you that this route is a wonderful thing! Countless Lakewood, Baltimore and Philadelphia frum Jews have reaped the benefits of the PHL-TLV route. We know that these flights are full and packed. Besides frum Jews there are many, many Christian groups from all over the U.S. who fly to Israel on this route. The flights are packed and fuel prices have been falling so how can it be that they are losing money?? In fact Israel Airport Authority stated that the number of passengers for this route increased 2.7% over the last year.
THIS IS BLATANT ANTISEMITISM!!! Besides, no one will accuse Haaretz of coddling Arabs or Muslims. So if they are reporting American’s decision as BDS, we can believe it.
We cannot be quiet about this. I urge everyone to complain to American Airlines. Complain to whomever you think is influential. I have done so already. WE CANNOT BE SILENT!
That’s funny, because Royal Jordanian Airlines itself flies to Israel, so why would they be upset about American flying there. A more likely reason is that there is a dispute about pensions to TWA’s old workers.
We can also play this game and choose not to fly American Airlines. We should all do what we can to get the word out that American Airlines is not an airlines we will use as long as they have removed their flights to Israel.
The Jerusalem Post (which I find to be far more accurate than the Haaretz rag) reported today that this story is, essentially, bogus. (1) British Airways, AirBerlin, Iberia (and a host of other airlines) are also OneWorld alliance members, and they fly directly to Israel with nobody pressuring them to stop. (2) Even Royal Jordanian Airlines flies a direct route from Tel Aviv to Amman, and no one is pressuring them to stop. And (3) Turkish Airlines flies routes in and out of Tel Aviv without jeopardizing its regular flights to Tehran (Iran). So, to all the paranoids out there who constantly scream “ANTISEMITISM,” get a life. All airlines cancel unprofitable routes as a part of doing business… there’s not necessarily skulduggery going on…get over it.
the reason is TWA was taken over by AA and they owe Israel lost of money now that US Air is AA they will have to pay back all the money owed