Israel Will Push American Airlines To Keep Philly Flight
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
American announced last week that it would discontinue the route beginning next year, solely for financial reasons. The route began flying in 2009, and has so far carried 95,000 passengers in 2015, according to Haaretz. But airline officials said it was still not profitable.
Israeli Transportation Ministry Director General Uzi Itzhaki has asked the Foreign Ministry to contact the U.S. government so as to help retain the flights. But Itzhaki acknowledged that because American is a private company, the government has limited leverage.
“We acknowledge that this involves a private airline, but shutting down the route would impair the level of service and increase ticket prices,” Itzhaki said, according to Haaretz.
The Foreign Ministry has said it will look into the matter.
Did you know that only 2% of Forward readers donate to support our nonprofit newsroom? That 2% make it possible for millions to read the Forward without a paywall or subscription — removing any barriers to the full and fair Jewish story.
But while the Forward is free to read, it isn’t free to produce. Big stories — like deep dives into the antisemitism data, political scoops or reporting trips to college campuses — take months of research and fact-checking. All while we keep you informed of what you need to know each day.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Forward Publisher & CEO
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
