El Al announced yesterday (Wednesday), after the ceasefire went into effect, that it was restoring its normal flight schedule - and was stopping the rescue flights.
Many customers who purchased tickets in advance and registered for the rescue flights discovered that their flights were canceled or not booked at all, claiming that they received no response from the company - and were left helpless overseas.
Passengers who spoke to Avivit Misnikov of News 12 said that they waited many days for a seat and when they gave up, they were forced to purchase new tickets from foreign companies at high prices. "They promised to rescue us, and in the end they left us to fend for ourselves," said one of the 'stranded' Israelis.
Following public criticism, El Al announced today that it has opened a dedicated task force that will locate customers who have not yet returned to Israel and ensure their placement as soon as possible.
Bella and her husband, who were vacationing in Athens, signed up for El Al's rescue flights the day the skies were closed following the war between Israel and Iran. However, a few days later, they discovered that they had not been assigned.
Yesterday they received a message from the company: "You must book yourself onto one of the company's upcoming scheduled flights."
"We tried to reach customer service but no one answers," Bella told News 12. "On the website we discovered that the only available next flight would only leave in eight days. Out of desperation, we purchased new tickets through Blue Bird at an exorbitant price, and then, after we had already paid, we received an assignment from El Al. They simply put their passengers through seven levels of hell."
A similar incident happened to Meital's father, 73, who was stranded in Thailand. He was supposed to board a rescue flight last Wednesday, but it was canceled. He has been waiting for an alternative flight since then, until yesterday he was informed that he had to find a regular flight himself. "The biggest problem is that they don't answer," Meital told Channel 12. "I've been trying to reach a representative for an hour and a half. Yesterday I waited two hours. They keep opening a sale for new tickets, but those who have already paid? They're not interested."
Noam and his family, who were in Frankfurt, also waited in vain to be placed on a rescue flight. Yesterday they realized that wouldn't happen and had to improvise an expensive solution. "We found a flight from another destination - which forced us to fly there first. It cost a fortune, but we just felt abandoned," he said. "The most frustrating thing is that there is no human response - we were just helpless."
El Al emphasizes that in addition to the customer service center's activities, a special operations team has been established to place thousands of El Al passengers on rescue flights. The operations team, which consists of approximately 200 company employees and management staff, will proactively contact the company's passengers stranded abroad, in order to obtain a status report regarding their rescue, and to place them on rescue flights accordingly.
El Al emphasizes that the return of Israelis to Israel is the company's top priority. The rescue operation continues, and the company is giving priority to its customers who have not yet been rescued.
English 
Hebrew