CHICAGO – United Airlines is facing renewed scrutiny after conservative shareholders filed a lawsuit accusing the carrier of bowing to anti-Israel union pressure in its decision to suspend flights to Tel Aviv.
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The suit, filed May 30 by the National Center for Public Policy Research, seeks internal documents to determine whether United violated fiduciary duties by allowing ideological considerations—not safety or business concerns—to drive its prolonged halt of Israel-bound flights. The group, which owns 123 shares of United, alleges that the decision may also involve improper coordination with Turkish Airlines, a government-linked carrier that supports the boycott of Israel.
Despite the conflict in the region, several major European airlines resumed Israel service earlier this year, while United—previously the top U.S. airline on the Tel Aviv route—resumed and re-suspended flights multiple times. The plaintiffs claim the delays led to nearly $3 billion in estimated lost earnings.
Attorney Anat Beck told JNS that United returned to flying “within two hours” of the lawsuit being filed—just as it had in February after receiving a legal warning. “Maybe it’s a coincidence, but it happened twice,” she said.
The complaint highlights a February 2024 statement by United that cited “close work with the unions” on the decision to resume flights—a departure from its standard safety-based explanations. The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA has publicly supported anti-Israel actions, including boycotts and demands to cut U.S. aid to the Jewish state.
United declined to comment. The union, meanwhile, told JNS that its input is focused solely on “crew safety,” dismissing accusations of ideological interference as “unfounded and delusional.”
We knew that all along, didn’t we ? United, Delta and all rest including foreign ones What these Israel haters don’t get is that many Christians and non denominatinal non Jews fly to Israel and as a result many Christians and even Muslim shopkeepers in Jerusalem especially, have been hurt by these boycotts.
There are plenty of trained flight attendants that regularly service ELAL – also plenty of regular Untied flight attendants as well – that would have happily worked if only offered! Untied Airlines did not want the travel routes and so they didn’t offer it and claimed that their staff was worried about their safety.
The corporate offices at Untied Airlines knows that the moment they reopen their travel back to Twl Aviv, all the Yidin will quickly abandon ELAL and jump to them because that’s who we are as a people. Our loyalties are to the dollar and not to those who were loyal to us.