Tel Aviv
 

In the current volatile situation, should we as Cabin Crew still be operating to Tel Aviv and slipping there?

What are your thoughts?
My airline is still operating there.

Any your problem is?

Many many people throughout the world travel to places every day that are far more dangerous than Tel Aviv. Even with the occasional rocket.

Just don't take a bus.

Sounds a perfectly sensible question to me.

I'd write (better, get your union to write) to the company and ask to see the risk assessment they've made for operating and stopping in what is now effectively a new war zone - and wasn't last week before rockets had started getting that far - and request not to be rostered there until you have seen it.

That should give them something to think about. (ie preparing a risk assessment double-quick)

Perfectly sensible question indeed.


Does your employer cover you for injury or death due to acts of war whilst in service?

If not? Then I'd be having a word. I'm not paid enough to be dealing with missiles during a meal service :)

Tel Aviv along with a number of other high risk destinations are continuously monitored by both airline security and British government agents.

BA for instance employs very senior former security personnel who would be talking to the Embassy in Israel and gauging the risks to crew and other employees.


In the past when it has become to risky BA routed its flights through other 'safe' countries and the crews operated shuttles.


.

I refused to go to Tel Aviv on a contract and was accused of being 'anti-Semitic'. Huh?

No, I wouldn't go there, for several reasons.

Exactly that is happening now. Air France and others are operating through Larnaka, Cyprus. Looks like BA, Easy, United, Air Berlin and Lufty are still going in direct for the moment.

By doing a little research into your post history it is obvious that you have an issue with it so stop moaning about alleged accusations you had to suffer from and be happy you work for an outfit that allows you to chose your overnights.

I am also lucky enough to be able to refuse Hajj contracts and quite a few layovers in what I consider backward and barbaric countries.

In the summer of 2006, during the Second Lebanon War, BA was being a bit wimpy and shuttling in via Cyprus. Lufthansa, who I use a great deal to Tel Aviv, were made of sterner stuff and continued with their schedule. Good on them. I have not flown to Israel using BA for many years (possibly over 30).

Lufthansa offer an excellent service from all parts of Europe via several hubs in Germany and many Jewish people use them despite historical reasons for being nervous. BA seem to forget that there is a part of the UK called 'outside the south east' and they ignore it at their cost.

There is nothing "a bit whimpy" about not flying into a war zone, regardless of what other outfit chooses to do so.

There are hundreds of lives in that metal tube with a great big flag painted on the side of it that many extremists believe make it a legitimate target.

Would you still make the same remark if a Lufthansa aircraft took fire?

A company like easyjet might not be such a great target for a missile in the eyes of some of these militants. Flying in an American Airlines or British Airways flag carrying aircraft would certainly get my palms a little sweaty right now!

And yet BA flies to all sorts of countries which could contain people willing to toss an RPG at western airliner. Why make Israel any different?

Time for some to either butch up or clear the premises. When's the last time a non-El Al flight was targeted/took fire going in or our of TLV? When's the last time a crew bus was attacked going to/from TLV airport? Not in recent memory, that's when.

If you want to be a nervous crew member there are far more obvious places where you can exercise those tendencies.

Israel is not a war zone, far from it.

Where was the last place a bar frequented by lots of BA crew blown up?

Tel Aviv Mikes bar a few years back.


The risk is not just aircraft or crew bus related its the risk to crew during the slip whether in the hotel or out and about in the city.


Many, many years ago a small boat loaded with Palestinian gunmen strafed the beach in Tel Aviv. Sitting on beaches is very much a crew occupation!

Try "almost 10 years ago" and you'd be closer to the truth.

Abuja is more dangerous, doesn't BA position an empty aircraft from there to Lagos so the crew has a "safer" layover in Lagos?

Dunno about Lufty, but AB does not do a crewchange in Tel Aviv, they just fly in and back out home. So there is no crewbus or hotel that could be attacked. However there is still the possibility of an AOG which is constantly assessed, and if the situation develops on the flight there it might be better to set it down somewhere outside israel.

As far as I know, Luftie is not going direct, crew change in ATH.