It is now getting close to two months that U.S.-based airlines such as United Airlines (UAL) -) and Delta (DAL) -) have not been flying to Tel Aviv or the nearby country of Jordan.
After the Oct. 7 attack by fundamentalist group Hamas left more than 1,400 dead and provoked Israel's military actions in Gaza, most airlines have not been flying to the region out of heightened security risks. While Israel and Hamas are presently in an extended truce for an exchange of hostages, United's website currently states that the security alert for Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport and Queen Alia International Airport in Jordan's Amman extends until Nov. 30.
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While those who had a future flight pre-booked should have already received their refunds, United Airlines now also offered to extend the status that its frequent flyers held with the airline for a year until the situation stabilizes.
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Some travelers are eligible to lock in their status with United
As first reported by flying website the Points Guy, the goal is to give those who were building Premier status with the airline but are now affected by the canceled flights to Tel Aviv a chance to lock in their loyalty level. The loyalty program ranges from Silver to Platinum, which is gained by earning 24,000 Premier Qualifying Points with the airline (while there are ways to double up points and earn status faster, this would still require spending tens of thousands on flights in a single year.)
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Status normally lasts for a year and resets depending on how much one spent with the airline during the same months but the extension will lock in whatever status one has now until Jan. 31, 2025 for those who are based in Israel or earned status by booking frequent flights to Tel Aviv.
"Emails to affected members are being sent on Tuesday, so if you're a frequent flyer to Tel Aviv or one based in Israel, be on the lookout for a message from United," writes The Points Guy's Zach Griff.
Will other airlines follow United's move in extending status?
Airlines frequently offer to extend status during times of war, pandemic and other situations in which travel is restricted outside the customer's control. When the Covid-19 pandemic gripped the world in 2020 and 2021, most major airlines extended customers' frequent flyer status for in some cases as many as three years as borders started reopening and different countries returned to pre-pandemic travel rules on vastly different timelines.
Prior to the Oct. 7 attacks, United ran flights to Tel Aviv from New York-Newark, Chicago, Washington and San Francisco and had a high number of frequent flyers who earned status from those flights.
"The airline has plenty of Israel-based Premiers who prefer to fly with the airline over its competitors, and the status extension should help United buy some goodwill even if its jets won't be operating to Tel Aviv in the coming days and weeks," Griff writes. "It remains to be seen if American Airlines (AAL) -) or Delta Air Lines will match United's move, but if either airline is going to make a move, I'd expect Delta will be first."
