United Airlines has been forced to delay the restart of its daily non-stop flight between Newark and Tel Aviv until May 9 at the earliest because the carrier is still assessing the security situation in Israel.
United had been set to resume direct flights between the US and Israel on May 3 and had even been selling tickets for what is expected to be a high demand service.
Passengers booked on United’s flights to and from Israel between May 3 and May 8 will, however, be rebooked on alternative connecting flights, including through Dubai, where codeshare partner flydubai continues to serve Tel Aviv.
One of the biggest problems for United operating flights to Tel Aviv is the fact that its pilots and flight attendants have to stay overnight in Israel. Discussions are believed to be ongoing between United and the two unions that represent aircrew over how the airline can ensure their safety.
In March, United became the first and so far only US…