The EL AL refund request form lives on the airline’s self-service page at elal.com, under “Requesting a Voucher or Refund.” It walks you through four short steps: entering your booking details, confirming what you’re owed, choosing between a cash refund or credit voucher, and providing recipient information.1EL AL. Requesting a Voucher or Refund If you have your booking reference, ticket number, and any cancellation email in front of you, the whole thing takes a few minutes.
What to Have Ready Before You Open the Form
Gather these first so you aren’t hunting through old emails halfway through.
- Your booking reference, the six-character alphanumeric code on your confirmation email (sometimes called a PNR or record locator).
- Your ticket number. EL AL tickets use the IATA prefix 114, so yours will start with those digits. It’s on your e-ticket receipt.2Airline Codes. Airline Codes Full Details – EL AL
- The passenger name exactly as it appears on the ticket. Mismatches delay processing.
- The card used for the original purchase, since refunds go back to the original payment method.
- Supporting documents: the cancellation email if the airline canceled your flight, or a screenshot of any delay alert if you’re claiming on a delay.
Working Through the Form
Go to the “Requesting a Voucher or Refund” page under Online Services on elal.com and click “To issue a credit voucher or refund.”1EL AL. Requesting a Voucher or Refund From there:
- Enter your booking details. Input your booking reference and passenger information so the system pulls up your itinerary.
- Confirm your reimbursement details. The form shows what you’re eligible for. If your flight was canceled or delayed more than five hours, you should see the option for a cash refund alongside the voucher option. Pick the one you want.
- Provide recipient information for the voucher or the customer entitled to the refund.
- Submit and save the confirmation email. That email is your proof the request was filed and your reference number for any follow-up.
One detail trips people up on multi-passenger bookings: you have to complete the process separately for each ticket. Before you finish the last screen, select “I have another ticket” to add the next one.1EL AL. Requesting a Voucher or Refund
When the Online Form Won’t Work
A few situations send you to EL AL’s service center instead of the form:
- Round-trip tickets where you’ve already flown the outbound leg.
- Group tickets.
- Award tickets.
The online form won’t process any of these and will redirect you to customer service.1EL AL. Requesting a Voucher or Refund
Tickets booked through a travel agent or third-party website are also outside the form. The refund has to go through whoever sold you the ticket, and EL AL’s own form page says so directly. Federal rules place the refund obligation on the ticket agent in that situation.3US Department of Transportation. Refunds Your first call goes to the agency, not to EL AL.
Voucher or Cash Refund?
The choice on the form is binding once you make it. Choosing a voucher means you give up the right to be rebooked on an alternative flight for that itinerary.1EL AL. Requesting a Voucher or Refund
EL AL’s vouchers are currently valid until June 2028 and can be used to book flights departing through May 2029. They’re transferable, so anyone can use them.1EL AL. Requesting a Voucher or Refund
If you’re entitled to a cash refund, the airline must tell you so clearly before offering a voucher as an alternative. The Department of Transportation’s automatic refund rule also requires any voucher offered in lieu of a refund to be valid for at least five years from issuance.4US Department of Transportation. What Airline Passengers Need to Know About DOTs Automatic Refund Rule If an agent pushes the voucher without mentioning the refund option, that’s worth flagging.
When You’re Actually Entitled to a Refund
The form will show you a cash refund option only if you qualify. The main triggers:
Canceled or significantly changed flights. Under 14 CFR Part 260, you’re owed a full refund of the fare, taxes, and ancillary fees when the airline cancels your flight or makes a significant schedule change and you decide not to fly. On international itineraries, which covers most EL AL routes, “significant” means a departure or arrival shift of six or more hours, a change of airport, a new connection that wasn’t in your original itinerary, or a downgrade to a lower cabin.5eCFR. 14 CFR Part 260 – Refunds for Airline Fare and Ancillary Service Fees You don’t have to do anything special to claim this. If the airline cancels and you don’t accept a replacement flight, the refund is due automatically.6eCFR. 14 CFR 260.6 – Carriers Obligation to Provide Refunds EL AL’s own policy mirrors this at a five-hour delay threshold.1EL AL. Requesting a Voucher or Refund
Ancillary fees for services you never received. Paid for a checked bag, seat selection, or Wi-Fi that the airline didn’t deliver? That fee is refundable too.3US Department of Transportation. Refunds
Voluntary cancellations under a flexible policy. EL AL periodically extends flexible cancellation terms tied to specific booking windows. As of early 2026, customers holding tickets purchased through February 28, 2026, for flights departing by April 30, 2026, can cancel for a credit voucher.1EL AL. Requesting a Voucher or Refund These windows change; check the voucher request page for the dates applied to your booking.
EL AL Protect. If you bought this paid cancellation add-on, you can cancel up to 48 hours before departure and receive a credit voucher for the full ticket value. The EL AL Protect fee itself is non-refundable, and the service doesn’t cover Lite tickets, award tickets, or certain promotional fares.7EL AL. The EL AL Protect Service
How Long Processing Takes
Under 14 CFR 260.2, airlines must issue credit card refunds within seven business days and refunds for cash, check, or debit card purchases within 20 calendar days. The second deadline runs on calendar days, which matters around holidays.5eCFR. 14 CFR Part 260 – Refunds for Airline Fare and Ancillary Service Fees
EL AL’s own stated timelines are close but not identical. The airline says credit vouchers for canceled flights are issued within seven business days, and cash refunds are returned within 21 days of the request.1EL AL. Requesting a Voucher or Refund Once the airline processes its end, give your bank an extra two to five days for the charge to reverse on your statement.
If Your Refund Is Denied
Start with EL AL directly. Airlines must acknowledge consumer complaints within 30 days and provide a written response within 60 days.8US Department of Transportation. File a Consumer Complaint Reference your confirmation email and tracking number so the airline can’t claim no request was filed.
If the airline’s response doesn’t resolve things, file a formal complaint with the DOT’s Office of Aviation Consumer Protection. You can submit online at airconsumer.dot.gov or by mail to the Office of Aviation Consumer Protection, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20590. Include your full contact information, the booking details, and a clear explanation of what happened and what the airline told you. The DOT forwards the complaint to the airline and requires a direct response to you with a copy to the DOT.8US Department of Transportation. File a Consumer Complaint The DOT uses complaint data to spot patterns and launch enforcement, so the filing matters even if your individual case isn’t investigated.