El Al Airlines has decided to reinstate its donation baggage discount program.
El Al Ends Discounts for Donation Baggage to Israel
Last week, the airline announced that effective June 15 (Saturday) the fee for duffle bags containing donated military and medical supplies for Israel would rise from $50 — a discount established after the start of the October 7th war launched by Hamas in Gaza — to a whopping $200 per bag.
Nonprofit organizations in Israel and abroad were stunned by the decision, which quadrupled the price of a duffle bag of donated goods. Many charities send multiple bags and in some cases, the fee hike meant an increased cost of thousands of dollars that could have been spent on more badly-needed donations.
Add to that the challenge of increasing donor fatigue, and a fee hike forces charities to face a truly difficult dilemma: stop sending the needed items to Israel, or grapple with reduced donations over the cost differential.
Adi Vaxman, head of the all-volunteer New Jersey-based Operation Israel organization, told JewishPress.com this weekend, “This rate increase during a war, where our soldiers risk their lives daily, feels like a slap in the face. It affects the fighters and rapid response team members who risk their lives every day.”
Vaxman urged the airline to reconsider its decision; three days later, El Al has reinstated the donation baggage discount.
