Well this is an unusual reason for a long haul flight to be delayed…
In this post:
EL AL flight delayed over “Free Palestine” stickers
140 suitcases were left behind on a recent long haul EL AL flight, after it was discovered that they had “Free Palestine” stickers on them, triggering a security concern and delay.
This incident happened on Monday, February 16, 2026, and involves EL AL flight LY6, scheduled to operate from Los Angeles (LAX) to Tel Aviv (TLV). The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner was supposed to start the journey at 2PM, arriving in Tel Aviv the following afternoon at 1:45PM.
According to passengers, around the flight’s departure time, the crew announced a delay of 25 minutes due to something related to checked bags, without expanding on that further. However, it was then revealed that there was a more serious issue involving luggage, which caused the delay to stretch on.
Later on, the captain announced that 140 suitcases had been removed from the plane after “Free Palestine” stickers were discovered on them. Each bag was required to undergo individual security screening, to rule out the presence of explosives.
These checks took longer than expected, and ultimately the airline decided to depart without the luggage, rather than extending the delay further. In the end, roughly 140 passenger suitcases were left behind at the airport.
During the delay, some passengers reportedly shouted in protest. Another traveler said his wife’s suitcase contained a dress intended for their daughter’s wedding. To these complaints, the purser reportedly replied “it’s better to arrive safely without the suitcase than the alternative.”
After landing in Israel, many passengers received notifications that their luggage had not been transported on the flight, and that the bags would be sent on the next flight out of Los Angeles.
Presumably some airport workers were behind this
Understandably, passengers on this EL AL flight wonder how these stickers could’ve been placed on bags. One passenger asked “how did they allow this employee to put the stickers on?” and “if they allowed him to do that, how can they ensure that next time something won’t be put inside the suitcases?”
Indeed, it seems like a sure bet that a worker at the airport decided to put these stickers on the bags, some time between when the bags were checked and when they were loaded on the plane.
Regardless of how one feels about the conflict, this kind of behavior isn’t acceptable. People working at airports are there to make operations run as smoothly as possible, and not to sabotage them. EL AL is known for having the most extreme security measures of any airline in the world, so of course having 140 “Free Palestine” stickers on bags — clearly a coordinated effort — was going to raise some concerns, and was going to be taken seriously.
I’m not surprised by EL AL’s response to the incident, and hopefully they’re able to figure out who did this.
Bottom line
On a recent EL AL flight from Los Angeles to Tel Aviv, 140 suitcases were found to have “Free Palestine” stickers on them. Since this was clearly a coordinated effort, this ended up causing some security concerns, including all bags with stickers needing to be screened for explosives.
After an extended delay, it was determined that it would take a lot longer to screen all the bags, so all 140 suitcases with the stickers ended up being left behind. That left many passengers frustrated.
Just divert the flight to The Hague and imprison all the genocidal Zionists next time. Do the world a favor.
My original take is who would be that stupid as a passenger then the reality of political attack by a worker became apparent (checking would not let 140 bags through with those stickers).
Utmost security threat - LA must view every inch of footage to find and arrest all of the people involved.
I am Christian. I flew El Al once, two flights - there and return. Their absolute harsh and prejudical treatment towards me will keep me away from that airline. I will not fly El Al again.
I wrote to the CEO and after 9 months, I received compensation.
This comment makes no sense. Were you proselytizing en-route?
Free my goldfish!
From the bowl to the pond, all goldfish will be free!! (Unless Mr. Socks my tabby cat swipes these memory-challenged creatures first.._)
#PalestineIsFake
It’s incredible how two words can make the Genocidal Apartheid regime and its cheerleading billionaires and elite psychopath class tremble.
No amount of Palantirs, Elbits, or Hasbara pipeline billions can disguise the glaring injustice.
So: Free Palestine, in spite of the ghoulish monstrosity that rules this world, and F* everyone else who calls this ‘complicated’. Amin!
FAFO!!! How idiotic are these libtards to think that ISRAEL, the ONLY state in the Middle East that is remotely close to the ideals of western liberalism, is who that place needs to be freed from??? It’s HAMAS that they SHOULD be protesting against! I’d love to see one of those pink-haired screaming tranny banshees going to a Hamas leader and telling them “I support you” - I’d bet they would be given a “permanent residency”
A skilled terrorist would use a completely innocuous suitcase or perhaps one with an Israeli flag sticker.
In the Munich olympics the group got in disguised as athletes, not wearing "PLO forever!" tee-shirts.
You're mixing terrorists with activists. The former is to cause fear and harm. Whereas the latter exist to annoy and piss people off.
This brings me back to the stupid TSA 'leave your bag unlocked or use an approved lock" rule. I get they might want to look in my bag, but if they unlock it and don't relock it -- which they never do -- how do I ensure that someone else doesn't put something in my back. It seems like an example where security rules are making us less secure...
I think beyond acceptable for El Al to leave the bags behind.
It’s beyond unacceptable for these idiots to be protesting Israel instead of Hamas whom are actual terrorists but they don’t seem to have a problem with. FAFO, I say!
Well said, both
It could be 'Sabotage" on Israeli Intelligence part to make it difficult for Palestinian passengers. someone at EL AL had to have knowledge of Luggage belongings to only Palestinians. crew at airports do not have that much time to check names on each and every Baggage and by the way there are VIDEOS of everything at the airport. why is Israel not checking that unless they are involved themselves.
Having worked at a major international airport, it’s amusing to read on this comment thread about how many people overestimate what is captured on video at an airport. There are innumerable blind spots out of view of cameras especially in older areas. Employees always know where these areas are.
I'm totally guessing here, but I would be surprised if many Palestinians flew El Al.
I actually dealt with a Bank manager at a major bank that was a palestinian, having lived on the West Bank. He started his career working at an israeli bank. He shared that he did visit family every few years and did fly El Al. He explained that security was thorough but after realizing that things were safe they usually joked around with him.
Are you suggesting that the Israeli government has access to LAX surveillance systems?
These were Israelis and tourists, not likely a lot of Palestinians. Wild theory...
Say what you will about Israel and the war, but trying to board an El Al flight with a Free that thing sticker is like typing I hate America on an iPhone - utter hypocrisy. No one forcing you to fly an Israeli airline. No one forcing you to use oppressive American inventions.
What's the offense here? Is it illegal to place a sticker on someone's bag? It doesn't actually seem like a harmful act other than possibly hurting someone's feelings.
I'll be right be to slap stickers on your car and see how you "feel"
Free Palestine on an Israeli flight is like shouting "I have a bomb" in the middle of an airport.
The bags most probably had to go through extra screening.
I think that's your opinion, Zephyr. And if people truly believe the words "free Palestine" equate a bomb threat, then perhaps there's a larger issue at play here.
It clearly indicates that the suitcases were accessible to someone that should not have had access. That is enough to raise concerns.
When the would be palestine state starts a war with rape and murder of 1200 people, what do you think free palestine seems to mean?
It is is illegal to tamper with suitcases. The perpetrator could easily have placed something into one or more of the hundred plus suitcases they had access to. They should be arrested and jailed.
Yes, Jerry... vandalism is illegal.
please leave your address so everyone can come vandalize your house, since apparently that's okay
The goal of any protest is to get media coverage. You have played a part in making this protest successful.
and the point of the story is also to realize there are limits to action and there are consequences for things that should not have been done.
DO you think that Palestine is any more or less free because of this action?
They should hold and screen the bags with no stickers. The stickers could be a diversion.
this is why we have cameras everywhere and it has nothing to do with Israel or El Al as much as some rabidly take sides.
Ben is right that this kind of stuff is unacceptable.
Find out who did it and not just fire them but prosecute them and make them pay for the damages that passengers incurred because of it.
And then widely publicize the outcome.
Prosecute them for what? Assuming it was just a sticker and nothing more, the delay was El Al's choice.
tampering w/ other people's property.
we just don't have the right to do what we want to someone else or their property, joke or not.
Prosecution or not. Someone will be jobless and a company will probably lose a contract.
Putting a sticker on someone else's suitcase would be considered graffiti. What if the sticker doesn't come off easily and your suitcase is ruined? Or @Jerry are you fine with random people putting stickers on your car, your front door, your briefcase, your laptop, especially if it's a sticker espousing something that you disagree with, such as supporting the other political party?
For tampering? Trespassing? Luggage security is a SERIOUS issue. What if they stuck 140 stickers to distract from one real bomb hidden elsewhere?
Ok sure they can rescreen the bags if they are concerned. I'm interested to know once they found out its not a safety concern if they took off the stickers or not. Once the bags are found to not be a security concern the bags shouldn't be touched or interacted with and the stickers should've stayed on.
I've been to Israel and the west Bank. Its very sad to see how illegal and inhumane...
Ok sure they can rescreen the bags if they are concerned. I'm interested to know once they found out its not a safety concern if they took off the stickers or not. Once the bags are found to not be a security concern the bags shouldn't be touched or interacted with and the stickers should've stayed on.
I've been to Israel and the west Bank. Its very sad to see how illegal and inhumane Israel (gov) and isralies treat the Palestinian people.
Note that not all isralies are Jewish, and my comment has no other mention of religion and is not antisemitic. I just want people to get along equitably.
Well said. I too have been to Israel and West Bank, and consider it one of my most amazing vacations. If not for the way Palestinians have been treated, I would have gone back more often.
Its indeed very sad to see the way Palestinians have been treated and thrown out of their homes by the illegal settlers.
But the person who did this needs to be caught and punished.
agree with everything you've said.
Why is a free Palastine Sticker a security concern in the first place?
Palastine must be allowed to live, as well as Israel.
There's no such thing as "Palestine".
Mmm… if you can’t connect the dots then I don’t think any explanation will help you understand.
Agreed on allowing Palestinians their right, but an airport or airline employee should not be vandalising luggage (adding a sticker to a suitcase without the owners approval is vandalism). It was not a sticker attached by the owner of the suitcase, but by some employee.
If you left behind Israeli bags, it's antisemitism.
If you left behind Palestine bags, it's ok.
Then the extra bomb screening?
Is El Al suggesting the LAX screening is inadequate?
Is the entire flying public at risk of being bombed because normal screening isn't good enough to detect?
So someone with Palenstine tattoo should get x-ray, CT, MRI, VMware, pat down, infrared, cavity search, swab, then repeat the whole process twice?
Your dislike for EL AL, Isreal and the Israeli people is well documented EskimoBot. For once in your life do try to get real and try harder not to make yourself look like a complete numpty each time you post …. yes?
@AeroB
Instead of hurling insults at the poster, it would serve your case better to refute his arguments, otherwise you are just making yourself look like an idiot - a windbag with nothing of value to impart.
JustinBot, this “Wind bag” is simply treating EskimoBot, in exactly the same manner as he treats others who post herein, yes?
Rather than you looking like the “Idiot” for having “Nothing of value to impart”, why not take notice of your own shortcomings, yes?
@Aero
Continue to prove you are an idiot. Well done. Carry on
Yawn!!!
I never disliked El Al, Isreal and the Israeli people.
The only hate and dislike here is from you personally against me and few other readers.
I just like to point out hypocrisy and give a shout out to attention seeking idiots like you AeroB13a.
You can't even read well and lack critical reasoning.
How could you even think that 140 passengers put the same stickers on 140 bags...
Yawn!!!
I never disliked El Al, Isreal and the Israeli people.
The only hate and dislike here is from you personally against me and few other readers.
I just like to point out hypocrisy and give a shout out to attention seeking idiots like you AeroB13a.
You can't even read well and lack critical reasoning.
How could you even think that 140 passengers put the same stickers on 140 bags is what actually happen?
That's why you're dumb enough to mistakenly conclude I dislike El Al or Israel while the only person full of hate is you.
And you hatred is well documented in almost every post calling names and bots.
It seems to me that El Al's action is performative. It has nothing to do with security. And you are right, suddenly all the scanning performed, become invalid because of a sticker.
“It seems to me that” …. you justinBot, display absolutely no knowledge whatsoever about airline safety and security. Nothing whatsoever about the State of Israel, the Jewish people who live there, the history of the Holy Land and nothing about the Hamas terrorist organisation. Hamas terrorists are a destabilising entity which is nothing less than a cover for organised crime syndicates.
In short you have proven yourself to be a most ignorant “Windbag with...
“It seems to me that” …. you justinBot, display absolutely no knowledge whatsoever about airline safety and security. Nothing whatsoever about the State of Israel, the Jewish people who live there, the history of the Holy Land and nothing about the Hamas terrorist organisation. Hamas terrorists are a destabilising entity which is nothing less than a cover for organised crime syndicates.
In short you have proven yourself to be a most ignorant “Windbag with nothing of importance to impart” …. Yes!
So How long have you worked for the Israeli Disinformation Brigade. I hear there are Thousands working Full time in Tel Aviv & NY to refute anyone that has anything to do with comments about Israel. working for yahoo? they will Block you anytime you mention Israel and Genocide.
What are "Palestine" bags?
Imagine if an airline has left 140 suitcases behind because they had the flag of Israel on them.
If they were travelling to Iran it would be a completely legitimate thing to do.
Read my name.
Ben must simply love the Israeli - EL Al - Palestinian subject matter …. these click-bait articles keep him in points and points mean flights, plus reviews. We might even hit the jackpot with an EL Al review too …. yes, Ben?
And you love pretending to be British, when we all know that you're a deranged Indian.
Why not an El Al review? Last time I checked they have at least business class, and Ben's job is to review as many different business/first class flights as possible.
Get the person who did this and make them pay for the delay! And all the people who have no luggage.
Parnel, do you not realise that up to 140 stupid passengers caused the flight disruption?
Do you not realise that up to 140 stupid passengers caused their own inconvenience and that of the other normal passengers, crew and ground staff too?
Are people really that stupid that they are incapable of forethought, of not having the common sense to know what the consequences would be?
Are people who read this article and then...
Parnel, do you not realise that up to 140 stupid passengers caused the flight disruption?
Do you not realise that up to 140 stupid passengers caused their own inconvenience and that of the other normal passengers, crew and ground staff too?
Are people really that stupid that they are incapable of forethought, of not having the common sense to know what the consequences would be?
Are people who read this article and then criticise El AL, Isreal or the airport authorities, so bleeding thick in the head that they do not realise how dangerous they are by condemning excellent security protocols?
Get real Parnel and all your Hamas propaganda swallowing cronies who condone the utter stupidity of this action and your response to it.
Shame be upon you all.
I see reading comprehension is not your strong point. The article says it was likely done by an airport worker.
So true David, I have to admit to only speed reading the article. Thank you for pointing out my faux pas.
Anyone care to guess what would happen if you tried to fly air china from Beijing with a "Free Tibet" sticker on your suitcase? Let's just say you wouldn't be leaving china anytime soon.
This is correct and the most spot on comment yet.
So, the Israeli government is comparable to the Chinese government. I think the Palestinians have been saying that for decades.
It's not the stickers on the outside of the luggage that El Al should be worried about. It's the contents of the bags without stickers but with bombs placed inside them after initial screening that should be the concern.
Security checks all bags. Then some bags appear at the end of the conveyer with Palestine stickers. It becomes apparent that to some extent they were tampered with. ELAL will not take off with a suspicious bag onboard. That is the main reason passengers select EL AL. The airline is not selected for service levels.
I still remember when EL AL refused passage to a suspicious passenger. The passenger switched to a PanAm flight....
Security checks all bags. Then some bags appear at the end of the conveyer with Palestine stickers. It becomes apparent that to some extent they were tampered with. ELAL will not take off with a suspicious bag onboard. That is the main reason passengers select EL AL. The airline is not selected for service levels.
I still remember when EL AL refused passage to a suspicious passenger. The passenger switched to a PanAm flight. EL AL still warned PanAm so the pilot asked the passenger if he was a terrorist. The flight was subsequently hijacked.
It's propaganda like this that makes Westerner paint a negative thoughts on China.
I doubt China would overreact like this and would be much more sensible.
I would think ICE suppression thesedays are more aggressive than what China propaganda is doing.
This person is going to have a really bad day when they are dicovered. Israel and El Al can throw the book at this person with incurred expenses
Good luck with that. Everyone in the world approves of this action, and more.
Rumor has it that Israel will retaliate by bombing all orphanages and hospitals in Gaza.
You mean orphanages and hospitals with living, breathing people inside? Hardly feels like an appropriate joke regardless how you feel about Israel, eh?
Since when did the Israelis begin caring about the lives of Gazans?
Why would they? Gazans have always celebrated the killing of Israelis by Palestinian terrorists. If the Gazans were wiped off the face of the earth, the world would be a better place.
I'm embarrassed for you.
The ones that NGOs are now admitting have been used since Oct 7 by Hamas fighters? You’re very dumb
They can't find who put the stickers on the bags.
They can't find bags that have air tags on them.
And they can't find who shot Tupac.
Can they find who dropped you on your head?
You already did. Yo mama sucka.
Legitimate safety concern. Better to leave the suspicious luggage behind than cancel the flight. F around and find out.
But it ok for Israel to occupy the West Bank with Isrealie who should not be there and also murder Palestinians?
It is called consequence which is something Israel need to feel everyday!
Can Palestinians in the West Bank fly on El Al airlines? Not really. El Al is a discriminatory airline. People should not sympathy for El Al.
Also if you do not let this post be posted your views align with Trump.
To paraphrase Andy Dufrain, how can you be so obtuse?
West Bank is only occupied by "Palestinians", who came into this land not too long ago. This land belongs to Israel. Jordan is Palestine.
"murder Palestinians" - how many innocent Israelis have Palestinians killed until today?
@Ran
What utter nonsense.
Baggage areas at LAX are well covered by security cameras. Should be easy to identify the individuals. Might also be a federal / state law violated for tampering with secured baggage. Having worked at LAX, I have zero sympathy for the individual(s) involved.
There should be a huge fine.