Flight delays caused by cabin staff being forced to reshuffle passengers to accommodate refusals by ultra-Orthodox men to sit next to women are no longer limited to Israel's national air carrier, El Al.
A woman named Marcela Grinfeld Sapir posted a description of a similar incident on an Austrian Airlines flight over the weekend.
"A flight from Tel Aviv to Vienna on Air Austria [Austrian Airlines]," she wrote.
"When we boarded, the pilot asked us to sit down quickly so we could arrive on schedule. Then the mess began – a group of haredim refused to sit next to women. The crew started trying to move people, unsuccessfully. It went on for about half an hour and only ended when the pilot intervened and women were moved from their seats. We landed late and missed our connecting flight.
"How long will such a primitive group [continue to] manipulate entire places and interfere with travelers' schedules? Either they can get off the plane immediately, or they can pay extra to reserve places [not next to women]."
A week ago, El Al – which came under scrutiny for accommodating a similar demand by haredi passengers – said it would take a firmer stand against ultra-Orthodox passengers who refuse to fly while seated next to women.
The Israeli flag carrier's CEO, Gonen Usishkin, said in a statement on Monday that he had ordered that "any traveler who refuses to sit next to another traveler will be immediately removed from the flight."
The statement comes after the airline moved two female passengers last week after haredi travelers refused to sit next to them. Similar incidents have been reported a number of times in the past and one of them resulted in a lawsuit, in which the court ruled against El Al.
