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Congressman Ritchie Torres (D-NY) from the Bronx has accused the “big three” US airlines of boycotting the State of Israel.
Torres sent a letter to the CEOs of American Airlines, Delta Airlines and United Airlines on Wednesday (August 28) to express “his concern” over their months-long suspension of flights to Israel. The letter was first seen by Jewish Insider.
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“The lack of competition has made air travel to Israel less available and less affordable, leaving customers at the mercy of a de facto monopoly that can drive up prices with impunity,” Torres wrote in the letter to American Airlines CEO Robert Isom, Delta CEO Ed Bastian and United CEO Scott Kirby.
The airlines suspended their flights to Israel shortly after the terrorist organization Hamas began its war against Israel in the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023.
Torres claims the airlines imposed the ban independently of an order from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which imposed a 36-hour ban on US airlines flying to Israel in 2014 during Israel’s Operation Protective Edge in the war with Hamas.
“It is one thing to temporarily suspend air service to Israel for safety reasons, as defined by the FAA. But suspending air service unilaterally and indefinitely through mid-2025, as American Airlines has done, has virtually the effect of a boycott,” the Bronx Democrat wrote.
United has suspended its flights to Israel indefinitely. American Airlines has suspended its flights to the Jewish state until March 29, 2025. Delta has announced that its flights are suspended until October 31.
“Given the arbitrary length of the suspension, one might think that the BDS movement had taken over the American airline industry without anyone noticing, let alone calling foul,” Torres wrote.
Currently, Israel’s national carrier, El Al Airlines, is the only airline offering direct flights from the United States to Israel.
“By what logic and in what universe is it safe for El Al to travel to Israel, but too dangerous for American Airlines, Delta and United,” Torres wrote.
The pro-Israel lawmaker also pointed out that regional airlines such as FlyDubai, Etihad and Wizz Air Abu Dhabi continue their flights to Israel without incident.
