El Al CEO: Harder for us to compensate passengers

Eliezer Shkedi complained that El Al is handicapped by being excluded from major international airline alliances.

El Al Israel Airlines Ltd. (TASE: ELAL) CEO (Maj.-Gen. res.) Eliezer Shkedi told the Knesset Economic Affairs Committee today that the airline was less able to compensate passengers for delayed or cancelled flights than other airlines. The committee is discussing a private member's bill on the issue by Ahmed Tibi (Ra'am-Ta'al).

"This is one of the most consumer-oriented bills in the Knesset," said Tibi. "The public has been waiting for this bill for a long time, which is why I hope that we won't lend a hand to efforts to delay the completion of the legislation."

Shkedi told the committee that there were three large global airline alliances, each of which has 2,500-4,000 planes, and which allow their members to find solutions via a wide range of flights and routes. He added that no Israeli airline had more than 45 planes, and their ability to cope with delays was far less than that of an airline alliance with 4,000 planes.

"We are unable to join any alliance because we're Jews, not due to any economic reason," Shkedi said.

Tibi replied, "When I came here this morning, I knew that you were Jews. I've lived with this fact all my life, but this bill serves the entire public."

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on February 15, 2012

© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2012

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