Safed Court Orders KLM to Compensate Israeli Passengers Over Missed Flight
A Safed court ordered KLM to pay 9,037 NIS to two Israeli women left behind in Montreal due to a ticketing and baggage error that caused them to miss their flight.
A small claims court in Safed has ordered Dutch airline KLM to pay 7,837 NIS plus 1,200 NIS in legal expenses to two Israeli passengers—Hodaya Simcha Buzaglo, who was heavily pregnant, and Ayelet Debora Cohen Fishbein, traveling with an infant—after a ticketing and baggage error led to them missing their flight from Montreal to Israel via Amsterdam on December 24, 2025.
The tickets, round-trip for two adults and an infant, were purchased through a travel agent at Delta Air Lines. The return flight from Montreal to Amsterdam was operated by KLM under a code-share agreement. According to the plaintiffs, Buzaglo's boarding pass showed an error with an 'X' at check-in, forcing her to rush through the terminal. After that issue was resolved, a dispute arose over a baggage allowance, with KLM claiming they were entitled to only one suitcase despite the ticket indicating two.
At the gate, the passengers were sent a digital payment link that failed to open. They attempted to use multiple credit cards, offered cash, and even had bystanders try to pay on their behalf, but all attempts were rejected. After the flight departed, they were offered an alternative flight landing on Shabbat, which the observant women declined. Delta eventually arranged an alternative flight for the following day with two layovers and no kosher meals.
KLM argued that the passengers arrived at the gate near closing time without proper travel documents because they failed to pay for an additional baggage item. The airline stated that the payment failure was due to the passengers' credit cards, not the link, and that the alternative flight offered immediately afterward was purely a gesture of goodwill.
Senior Registrar Yosef Pinian ruled that the plaintiffs' testimony was reliable and consistent, pointing out contradictions in KLM's own documentation, where the computer log initially claimed no advance payment for baggage, while a later document alleged an extra hand luggage item. The registrar noted that the airline failed to provide a rejection report from the credit card company. The court awarded 3,580 NIS in statutory compensation to each woman, plus 677 NIS for documented food, beverages, and transportation expenses, totaling 9,037 NIS including legal fees. Claims for punitive damages and lost baggage compensation were dismissed.
