Kuwait pulls NY-LON route rather than fly Israelis

Kuwait Airways has cancelled all flights from New York’s JFK airport to London Heathrow after the US Department of Transportation found the airline was illegally discriminating against Israelis. Two years ago an Israeli citizen called Eldad Gatt tried to book a flight from New York to London on Kuwait Airways, but the airline’s online booking system did not allow him to buy the ticket because it does not allow entering information on Israeli passports. Gatt had originally booked the flight through the Priceline website, but was unable to actually book the ticket with the airline. Gatt filed an official discrimination complaint with the department. Cancelling its flights to America was the airline’s response to an order to comply with US anti-discrimination law issued by the Department of Transportation. Kuwaiti law forbids its citizens from entering “into an agreement, personally or indirectly, with entities or persons residing in Israel, or with Israeli citizenship.” A spokesman for the airline said: “Today, Kuwait Airways informed the U.S. Department of Transportation that they will be eliminating service between JFK and London Heathrow.”