Israel’s flagship carrier El Al gave out 1.8 billion miles to more than 80,000 Israel Defense Forces reservists in a 48-hour promotion this past week in recognition of their military service.
The offer came amid a national public outcry and an ongoing investigation into allegations of price gouging in the last 15 months when the national carrier had a virtual monopoly on many routes, including the lucrative transatlantic flights to New York, after most foreign carriers suspended service to and from Tel Aviv.
The short-lived promotion, which overwhelmed the carrier’s website and ended on Wednesday, was available to reservists who were called up for more than 100 days of service, giving them 100 frequent flyer points for each day served.
In total, some 81,000 reservists received the free points for a total of 18 million cumulative days of reserve duty, the airline said. The total cost of the mileage giveaway, which was heavily advertised on television as well as on social media, was in the tens of thousands of shekels.
In addition, reservists who served at least 60 days were offered full cash refunds for canceled flights, seat upgrades and extra baggage allowances.
However, tens of thousands of eligible reservists were left disappointed as they did not manage to get through to claim their miles.
While El Al has won accolades for flying continuously throughout the war, it has been heavily criticized for exorbitant pricing over the last 15 months when it raked in record-breaking profits.
One video circulating in Israel decried the promotion as a “dirty trick” that sought to cover up the carrier’s overcharging during the war by usage of slick marketing.
Multiple foreign airlines have resumed service to Israel over the last month reducing prices to Europe, although the three major U.S. legacy carriers have not restarted flights to Israel yet.
