Posted on 07/22/2014 3:51:48 PM PDT by Star Traveler
European and US airlines suspend flights to and from Israel after rocket falls 5km from Ben Gurion; El Al has historically continued flight service during times of war. Israeli airline El Al said it would not cancel any flights as air travel to Israel from all American carriers and several European ones came to a halt on Tuesday after the Federal Aviation Authority banned US airlines from traveling to and from Ben Gurion Airport for 24 hours.
"There is no chance we will stop operations," an El Al spokesman told the Post.
In labor disputes with the government, El Al has argued that it is the only airline the country can rely on to continue flying during tough security times, and that Israel should foot more of the bill for its security needs. During the 1991 Gulf war, every airline but El Al suspended service to Israel.
The FAA's decision followed the successful firing of a Hamas rocket into a house in Yehud, near Ben Gurion Airport, earlier in the day.
"The FAA immediately notified US carriers when the agency learned of the rocket strike and informed them that the agency was finalizing a [Notice to Airmen]" prohibiting the flights, an FAA statement read.
(Excerpt) Read more at jpost.com ...
Israel and El Al get some things right. They have a history of experience that the US didn’t have up to 9/11. It’s a shame that the US got all politically correct and didn’t follow Israel’s lead after 9/11. We basically waste million upon millions of dollars on fake security while making it more difficult for honest, law abiding Americans to travel. It’s the nanny state at its worst.
“El Al is the best..more expensive but worth it..you will never get on a safer airline than El Al”
Very true but if you hate the TSA security checks. El Al is probably not for you :)
Rocket lands ‘near’ an airport in Israel, ALL FLIGHTS MUST BE CANCELED!
Two military planes shot down in Eastern Ukraine, no problems at all
That’s true..but at the end of the day, you know when you get on an El Al plane, you are 100 percent safe..yes the security checks can be a hassle, but its worth it..your life is worth the extra hassle
I love El Al (Hebrew for God’s Airline?)
I Love Israel.
Flights that overfly that area are routed away from there now, after the shootdown.
If you “trip” any of their profiles or something “gets them” about you ... you will miss your flight and you’ll be in for a very grueling ordeal that will last for hours ... this according to some people who have innocently run afoul of the profiling.
I would just leave and go home and give up your vacation ... LOL ...
El Al security people have often said,
“Americans are looking for weapons. We’re looking for terrorists.”
Not a hijacking attempt against El Al since 1968, IIRC.
El Al Security are former IDF people so your in good hands. Last June I went to Israel for my sisters wedding(They both live here in LA now but his family lives in Israel) you should have seen how tight security is for any El Al flight, you have a police escort to the plane..cop cars travel with you until you arrive at the plane then you go through security again..once you get to Israel, they ask you the typical questions, why are you here, who are you visiting, how long are you staying..that is why my family won’t fly any airline except for El Al, knock on wood its the safest airline to fly
their jets have anti-missile countermeasures.
As far as anyone knows, Hamas has no SAMs. The “fear” apparently is of dumb rockets hitting the runway or terminal or something.
If the leaders of the U.S. and European countries consider Hamas evil enough to target innocent people on airliners, why don’t they support Israel in its effort to destroy the evil Hamas?
If Israel doesn’t win the current war, Hamas will be empowered to expand its evil ways. How much harder would it be for Hamas to send a rocket into a plane landing in New York or Paris than one landing in Israel? In fact, it would be easier in other countries, since Ben Gurion Airport is protected with advanced technology such as the Iron Dome.
If a group of ragtag separatists in Eastern Ukraine can blow up a commercial airliner with 298 people aboard, why can’t a group of ragtag Hamas terrorists do the same in any country in the world they want to? Certainly, if thousands of illegal immigrants can cross our borders undetected, so can terrorists carrying missile launchers to set up near American airports.
Yet the world is howling that the Israelis are the bad guys when the Israelis are the only guys good enough to fight against terrorists so they won’t be able to expand their operations and end up blowing airliners out of the sky at an airport near you.
The EU just called for the disarming of Hamas today. And the Secretary General of the United Nations said that Hamas had to immediately cease their firing at Israel. But, of course both those things are going to require enforcement.
It doesn’t work that way. Delta operations started the ball rolling, mostly likely in close coordinated with the FAA (every airline has risk assessment teams that work closely with their local FAA office). UAL’’s afternoon flight was next, after the FAA issued their NOTAM. US Airways cancelled only tonight’s flight after the FAA issued their NOTAM. US Airways is going day to day.
For such a tiny country, there is a LOT to do, whether it's to refresh your spiritual soul, delight your eyes, enlighten your knowledge of history, or just have fun.
Quoting from an article ...
On Tuesday, four major U.S. airline carriers announced their decision to cancel flights heading to Israel indefinitely, one specifically citing the danger of Gaza rocket attacks near Israels Ben Gurion airport.
Israel Transportation Minister: Cancellation of Flights to Israel Gives a Prize to Terror
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3183687/posts?page=35
It sounds fab, I want to make aliyah even though I never got the chance to be Jewish
That’s Good Too!
:-)
thanks. :-)
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