![American Airlines passenger jets are lined up at the gates at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, on Feb. 10, 2024.](https://media.nbcdfw.com/2024/05/107405398-1713905449027-gettyimages-2023803701-20240210-95840_0c9586.jpeg?quality=85&strip=all&resize=320%2C180)
American Airlines is extending its suspension of flights to and from Tel Aviv due to escalating tensions following 10 months of theย Israel-Hamas warย in Gaza.
According to the Fort Worth-based airline, operations at Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV) will be suspended through March 29, 2025, and its travel alert will be extended further.
Passengers affected by the suspension can rebook without a fee or cancel for 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.," the airline said in a released statement on Monday.
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Change fees will be waived in the following applies:
- Traveling on an American Airlines flight
- Booked in any fare class, including Basic Economy
- Bought a ticket by Feb. 11, 2024
- Scheduled to travel Oct. 7, 2023 - March 29, 2025
- Can travel Oct. 26, 2024 - April 29, 2025
- Did not change origin or destination city
- Rebooked in the same cabin or pay the difference
- Canceled the trip and requested a refund
American Airlines also stated that customers have until March 29 to make changes. Travel must be completed within a year of the original ticket date, and the difference in fare may apply.
Following the outbreak of the Middle East war in October 2023, American Airlines halted all flights to and from Tel Aviv. Delta Airlines and United Airlines canceled flights at the start of the war but have since resumed operations.
Earlier this month, Israeli strikes killed 12 people in Gaza, including four at a hospital complex. In a separate incident, a woman in her 70s and an 80-year-old man were murdered, and two other men were injured in a stabbing attack in a Tel Aviv suburb, according to Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service.