Arkia Reviews 62

Days before the flight, Arkia moved my flight, Tel Aviv to Larnaca, to hours later, such that it was no longer useful for making a connecting flight to London. Arkia ultimately cancelled the flight entirely and I had to buy an additional ticket from another airline to make my connection. Arkia is not responding to messages from Expedia to refund the cost of the cancelled flight.

AVOID USING THIS AIRLINE at all costs.

My letter to Arkia CEO sent by email and registered post which to date have not received a reply to

On 17 July 2025, my wife and I travelled on flight IZ166 from Larnaca to Tel Aviv. This flight was delayed by more than eight hours, causing us to miss much of the wedding we were travelling to attend. My understanding is that this delay was caused by a faulty aircraft wheel. While I acknowledge Arkia’s high maintenance standards, this incident clearly falls within the airline’s control and does not constitute “extraordinary circumstances” under EU Regulation 261/2004. Accordingly, unless you can show documentary evidence to the contrary, I am entitled to statutory compensation.

Since returning home to the UK, I have made repeated attempts to request and complete the appropriate compensation form, but Arkia has provided no meaningful assistance:
• After contacting your WhatsApp service, I waited over 24 hours for a response, only to be told to write an email.
• I first emailed Arkia on 20 July, with reminders sent on 28 July, 1 August, and 11 August. None of these emails have received a reply—not even an acknowledgement.
• I attempted to phone your customer service line several times, deliberately calling at opening time to be first in the queue. On two occasions I was disconnected after waiting 45 minutes. On a third attempt on 18 August, after nearly an hour on hold, I was finally answered.
• I was informed that the only compensation form available is in Hebrew and requires an Israeli phone number, effectively preventing non-Israeli passengers from submitting a claim. Furthermore, even when my relative in Israel attempted to help, he found the form demanded an Israeli bank account, which is not how I purchased my tickets.

This process has been wholly unacceptable and gives the strong impression that Arkia deliberately places barriers in the way of foreign passengers seeking rightful compensation. When I raised this concern with your agent, I was told that “Arkia is an Israeli company,” implying that non-Israeli passengers do not matter.

This was my first time flying with Arkia, and unfortunately, it has left me with a deeply negative impression. Since then, I have seen further reports of lengthy Arkia delays, including the recent case of passengers suing Arkia following a ten-hour delay on the Paris–Tel Aviv route. This suggests a systemic issue which cannot be resolved simply by ignoring customer complaints.

Worst airline experience ever, they lost my baby stroller and illegally declined to reimburse me for it

Expect those unexpected charges for replacement of lost luggage

I booked a flight ticket on september for a flight to Geneve
They cancelled the flight and do not agree to compensate me as they have to by the law. They are company one have to avoid

I recently flew with Arkéa Airlines and had an extraordinary experience that I’ve never encountered before with any other airline. After checking in and going through security, I purchased a bottle of water from duty-free (which is usually allowed), only to be told by the airline staff before boarding that I couldn’t bring it on the plane and had to spill it out.

I’ve flown on many airlines, and never have I been asked to dispose of something I’ve just purchased, especially not water. It felt especially odd since duty-free purchases are typically exempt from liquid restrictions. The staff didn’t offer any alternatives and insisted that I get rid of the water, which was extremely inconvenient and frustrating, especially for something as simple as a bottle of water.

To be clear, I understand security protocols, but this situation felt over the top and was handled poorly. I would have appreciated a more thoughtful solution, especially when the purchase was made at the airport. I’ve never encountered this kind of rule on any other airline, and I hope Arkea Airlines will reconsider its policies around duty-free purchases.

In the end, this small inconvenience left a sour note on my overall travel experience. I expect more flexibility from airlines, especially when it comes to something as basic as hydration!

If I could give ZERO stars, I would. This airline is a complete and utter FAILURE. They stranded us for nearly 40 hours and provided NO FOOD and ZERO assistance. But the real, UNFORGIVABLE disgrace is their total lack of customer service. For MONTHS, I have tried to contact them through every possible channel—emails, phone calls, you name it—and the response is NOTHING. Their customer service is NON-EXISTENT. They are happy to take your money and then they COMPLETELY VANISH. This is not an airline; it is a SCAM. DO NOT waste your money.

Avoid Arkia if you expect service if things do not go as planned. On September 5, 2024, we had a flight booked from Larnaca, Cyprus an EU airport. Less than 24 hours before the flight time it was brought forward by three hours. In accordance with EC 261/2004 that is deemed as a cancellation and compensation is accordingly payable. Arkia simply refuses to abide by its obligations. I have now requested the Cyprus Department of Civil Aviation to suspend the landing rights of Arkia until the company abides by the obligations it has under EU law.

No customer service barely from the US seems like a child is running the USA flights cant push off a flight either

Worst flight company in the world!!!
Don't book with them even for the lowest rates.
They delayed our flight by 10 hours without even informing us. Their customer service is open only a few hours a day and it takes about 6 hours to get a reply from them, if any at all.... in short, JUST DON'T!

Having read the reviews of Arkia Airlines I had very low expectations. However the whole experience was a very pleasant surprise. From booking flights via bookings.com to receiving email with flight time changes a few days before both flights (minimal time changes ) to polite and efficient ground and cabin staff. Both flights smooth and on time pretty much . All in all was rather impressed

Arkia cancelled our flight IZ272 (Barcelona–Tel Aviv, June 19, 2025) and left us stranded. No alternative flights, no refund. Customer service is non-existent: only automated WhatsApp replies, no answers to calls or emails. Over 50 days have passed — unacceptable.

Disaster of an airline they delayed our flight by 6 hours and didn’t even email us or give us any notification! Our whole flight turned up to the check in desk and it was empty😡

Flight service, check in service, staff, food-all is very bad. The level doesn’t even reach the level of some low-cost airline.

The airline is a total disgrace. They do not respond to emails, WhatsApp messages and their call centres do not operate.
Moreover, they tend to randomly change flight times by several hours with no accountability, as their rules state that passengers are eligible for compensation if the change is more than 5 hours (!!!!!).

Finally, costs Arkia charges for short-haul flights is insane, I truly hope they go bankrupt.

On 1.10 at 1:45 I was supposed to fly with Arkia on flight IZ338 from Milan to Israel and arrive in Israel at 6:30 in the morning. The reason I booked this flight was because it was not on my workday.

The day before the flight I received a message from Arkia that the flight would be operated by a chartered plane and I assumed that the flight would depart on time. I arrived at the airport on the night of 30.9 and discovered that Arkia had canceled the flight without informing anyone, not by message, not by email, not by phone. Arkia simply canceled a flight letting its passengers know about it. They learned about that only after they arrived to Malpensa. I drove 1.5 hours to the airport to discover that there was no flight. Such disrespect for its customers is shameful.

I did not want to take any later flight, but Arkia did not give me that option. There was no way to cancel the flight and get the money back. In fact, I have tried countless times to contact their customer service by phone and on WhatsApp but have received no response. Can a company just cancel a flight without giving an option to get the money back?

Since I could not cancel the flight and get my money back like any company that respects itself and its customers, I was forced to join the other passengers into a hotel and only get a room at 2 am, even though they could have accommodated everyone much earlier. In 9 AM Arkia took us back to the airport, after a night in which we barely slept, only to take a flight at 16:00. We had to wait from 10 to 16 until we could take the flight, such a waste of working time.

When the plane finally departed, Arkia did not tell the passengers that they are not flying to Israel, but to Cyprus. Although they knew from the start that they are not going to Israel, they did not inform the passengers. Why didn't they give people the option to stay in Italy and get their money back?

From the moment we landed in Cyprus a total chaos began, Arkia left the passengers to their own sake. Each family had to find its own accommodation for outrageous prices, take taxis to the city (because there is no other option), and get themselves back to the airport on their own.

I demand a reimbursement for the flight, the accommodation in Cyprus, the taxis and the two missing days of work.

I've been trying to cancel a flight from Tel Aviv to Milan. The Arkia's call center doesn't operate because of the "sky closure over Israel," despite there being no restrictions for civilian flights there. They suggest contacting Customer Services via WhatsApp or email. I'm trying to contact them both ways, and have no reply

The call center does not work. Customers are not supposed to half an hour on the phone just for adding luggage in their flight.

Bad service.
Since the war with Iran, communication with them has only been with a bot that is not helpful at all.
They do not answer emails, WhatsApp, or phone calls.
They charged in advance without a problem, and now when we need to get a refund from them, there is no one to talk to. Shitty service. Do not recommend at all. Zero service, and they know how to sell new flights very well.

Don't fly Arkia EVER! You cannot use an airline that are impossible to communicate with - they don't answer the phones, Whatsapp messages or emails.

AVOID!!!

We paid for luggage on a website that we bought the tickets from . And they still made us pay 90 dollars!!!!! For luggage again just because they didn’t see we bought luggage. So we basically paid twice. STAY AWAY FROM THIS AIRLINE COMPANY!