A number of El Al pilots didn’t show up for their flights on Thursday evening, calling in “sick”, apparently protesting against the side effects of El Al’s creation of a budget airline service called “Up”.
The Israeli version of the Italian strike left hundred of travelers stuck at the airport with long delays, and one flight to Munich was completely cancelled.
The pilots claim they are flying too many hours, and have too many last-minute itinerary changes as of late.
They’re demanding that El Al hire more pilots to lighten the load.
El Al recently cancelled their point sharing agreement with HAS Advantage Visa card holders, leaving angry and surprised card holders with many tens of thousands of points that can no longer be applied towards El Al flights.