American Airlines announced over the weekend that it would not resume flights to Israel until September 2025, extending an existing pause for another six months and potentially triggering a cascade of delays by other airlines in resuming scheduled service in Israel.

This decision allows American Airlines the first US-based carrier to push back its flights to Israel until at least the second half of 2025amid a series of cancellations affecting most non-Israeli airlines.

Delta and its partner airlines currently have pauses on their Israel flights until March, while United Airlines has not yet set a return date for its own Israel flights.

Many carriers suspended flights to Israel following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack and delayed their return to the region citing new security concerns, including the expansion of regional conflict in Lebanon and Iran . Others resumed flights after October 7, but suspended them due to escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, which included multiple missile launches from Iran.

The scarcity of flights and their frequent interruptions have made traveling to and from Israel an expensive, often senseless process. To manage costs, many travelers choose to fly first to a European city with budget service before connecting to their final destination – although several European budget airlines, including EasyJet and Ryanair, also have suspended their service to Israel until at least spring 2025.

Israel’s El Al is currently the only airline offering direct flights between the United States and Israel. El Al’s effective monopoly on the service since October 7 led to an investigation into price gouging and a policy change that blocked flight fares to and from some European cities.

In a statement, an American Airlines spokesperson told the Jewish News Syndicate that customers who have already purchased flights can get a full refund or exchange them for another airline.