How to claim compensation from an airline

The flight number and date, the names of all passengers and the booking numbers, what happened (cancellation or delay, with the actual times), the right you claim and the amount per passenger, a reference to the sections of Israel's Aviation Services Law, bank details for payment, and an exact date by which you expect payment. A vague demand gets a vague reply.

Usually yes. A booking confirmation from your inbox, with the passenger names as they appeared on the booking, is often enough to start. More documents may be needed later, depending on the airline's reply. We take the cancellation or delay itself from our archive of the Ben Gurion flight board, saved with a timestamp and a SHA-256 hash from the moment it was sampled, even after the public board no longer shows that day. The airline has to prove any exemption it relies on. You should still keep evidence of the basic facts: the booking, the flight and what happened.

To the airline's customer service or public enquiries address. For airlines without an inbox that accepts outside mail, use the official form, fax or registered mail. A foreign airline that holds an Israeli operating permit must appoint a representative in Israel to receive court documents. That address is for serving a lawsuit, not for the demand.

When there is an entitlement and a written demand was sent: the ticket refund within 21 days, and the compensation within 45 days, under Israel's Aviation Services Law. This is a payment deadline, not a duty to reply, so an airline can stay silent and be in breach.

Not for the demand stage. Small claims court is by its nature designed for people to handle the case themselves, and representation there needs the court's permission. For complex claims, high amounts or a regular court procedure, legal advice does make sense.

4 years back from the flight date. A rejection you got in the past is not final, especially if it relied on a general reference to "special circumstances" without evidence.

We run the steps automatically: we check the flight number against the Ben Gurion flight board and keep a timestamped snapshot with a SHA-256 hash as evidence, prepare the demand from the flight data and the amounts in the law, send it through the right channel for that airline, track the deadlines, and tell you the next steps if the airline does not pay. If the compensation is paid through FlyBack, it goes into a dedicated FlyBack business bank account used for claim payments. We deduct the fee and transfer the balance to you within 7 business days. If no compensation is actually received, there is no fee. The fee is 26% plus VAT. FlyBack is not a law firm and does not give legal advice.

The fixed compensation is a duty of the airline that actually operated the flight, not of the agent or website you booked through, even if you paid them directly. The ticket refund, on the other hand, is usually claimed from whoever actually received the payment, meaning the agent or the website. On a charter flight, the compensation and assistance duties also apply to the organiser, alongside the operator. How you booked does not cancel the entitlement.

In a small claims court that has territorial jurisdiction. The Judiciary's small claims guide explains where you can file. The main points: a claim ceiling of ₪39,900 (as of January 2026); a court fee of 1% of the claim amount and no less than ₪50; the defendant has 30 days from receiving the claim to file a defence, unless the court extends it; representation by a lawyer needs the court's permission, so the procedure is built for people acting for themselves. A foreign airline that holds an Israeli operating permit must appoint a representative in Israel to receive court documents. Check the current representative in the Civil Aviation Authority register before filing. The limitation period is 4 years from the flight date. These figures follow the small claims procedure regulations and are updated from time to time.

Yes. Denied boarding because of overbooking is one of the four grounds in Israel's Aviation Services Law, alongside cancellation, a delay of 8 hours or more, and a flight moved earlier. A passenger denied boarding may choose between a ticket refund and an alternative ticket, gets assistance at the airport (food, communication, a hotel if needed), and may also be entitled to the fixed compensation by flight distance: ₪1,530, ₪2,450 or ₪3,670. A passenger who volunteered to give up their seat is assessed under the arrangement agreed with them.

The flight board of the Israel Airports Authority is important evidence, made at the time. But the legal question is what actually happened, judged on all the evidence. Commercial flight trackers and airline records can also support it. The public board shows a window of only a few days, and the information disappears from it quickly. We sample the official board continuously, and every status change of a disrupted flight is saved as a separate record with a timestamp and a SHA-256 hash, so the evidence survives even after the row has gone from the live board.