Israeli law requires the airline to provide food and drink during a long wait. Israeli courts have added damages when the food wasn’t kosher for passengers who keep kosher.
What the law requires
From a two-hour departure delay, the airline must provide assistance: food and drink in line with the wait, phone calls, and a hotel and transfers if needed. The law doesn’t say "kosher" in so many words, but a meal a kosher-keeping passenger can’t eat is, in practice, a meal not provided.
What the courts have ruled
- United: ILS 9,270 for a cancelled flight, plus ILS 730 in exemplary damages for not providing kosher food.
- Israir, Batumi: about ILS 200,000 for 32 passengers whose flight was cancelled over Pesach 2023. The court rejected the weather defence and also noted that no kosher food was provided during the wait. Israir said it would appeal.
What to do at the airport
- Ask the airline’s staff for kosher food – and in writing too (WhatsApp or email), so there’s a record.
- If none is provided, buy food at a reasonable price and keep every receipt.
- After the trip, claim those expenses in writing together with your other rights.
- If the airline doesn’t pay, a small-claims case can also ask for exemplary damages for the missing assistance.
General information, not legal advice. EinTisa is not a law firm.
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