I purchased my EL AL ticket home from Israel to Los Angeles believing my reservation and additional seat payment were confirmed. I thought EL AL would ensure I flew on the nonstop flight I had paid for.

Hours before I ever left for the airport, I tried to check in through the app and was denied, with no explanation given. There was no indication at that point that anything was wrong, no message suggesting my seat was at risk, nothing telling me to arrive early or speak to an agent. I only found out something was wrong once I arrived at Ben Gurion Airport four hours before my flight, when the check-in attendant told me that despite having a confirmed reservation and an assigned seat, I was not actually guaranteed a place on the aircraft. The flight had been oversold, and I would have to wait until boarding to learn whether I would be allowed to fly or rerouted through Europe.

I demanded an explanation from the supervisors. Their response was immediate and rehearsed: “Every airline does it.”

I pushed back, “EL AL is not every airline, and to hold it to that standard is a........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)