Lufthansa Canceled His Flight from Israel! Here’s How He Made It Home (with Points!)
- diaryofapointstrav
- May 20
- 4 min read
Travel plans don’t always go smoothly, and our recent trip from Israel to the US proved that in the most unexpected way. What started as a well-planned return home quickly turned into a scramble when Lufthansa canceled our flight! Here’s what happened and how we managed to rebook get home using points (and a bit of luck).
The Original Plan: Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines
On our recent trip to Israel, my husband stayed an extra 5 days to spend Lag Baomer in Meron. We had originally booked his return flight with a stop over in Frankfurt so he can fly business class from there. We booked from Tel Aviv to Frankfurt on Lufthansa through the Capital One Travel portal. We took advantage of the $300 travel credit that comes with the Venture X card, plus paid about $122 out of pocket. From Frankfurt, he was supposed to connect the next morning to JFK on Singapore Airlines in business class—a dream way to end a trip.
The Cancellation Curveball
Everything seemed set until the Houthis decided to hit Ben Gurion Airport with missiles, prompting Lufthansa to cancel their flights. Lufthansa issued a full refund, but now we had a new problem: what to do about the connecting flight from Frankfurt to JFK.
Fortunately, we were able to cancel the Singapore Airlines flight for just a $50 points deposit fee, so now we have 88,000 KrisFlyer miles stuck in Singapore Airlines. Honestly, that’s not the worst place to have points, considering they offer an incredible business class product.
The Backup Plan: El Al via Qantas
Luckily, we had a backup flight booked! I always recommend having a Plan B when flying a foreign airline out of TLV, at least until the war is over, and this time it definitely paid off. We had previously booked a flight from Tel Aviv to Boston on El Al through Qantas for 37,800 miles. There were no flights available on ElAl to NY anymore.
Since we already had 12,000 Qantas miles stuck from a prior cancellation, I only needed to transfer 22,000 more miles from Capital One. I took advantage of a 20% transfer bonus, bringing my total points balance up to 37,800 miles, enough for a one way ticket from TLV to BOS on ElAl!
The Final Leg: Boston to LaGuardia
Once in Boston, my husband still needed to get home to New York. We booked a connecting American Airlines flight for $110 through the Capital One Travel portal, using the travel credit from the canceled Lufthansa flight. Since he has the American Airlines credit card, his checked bag was included, which saved us that extra expense.
The cherry on top? This reroute means he landed at LaGuardia, which is less than a 20-minute drive from home instead of the usual hour-long trek from JFK. Sometimes the backup plan actually works out even better than the original!
Lessons Learned
Always have a backup plan when flying on foreign airlines out of TLV, at least until the war is over. In situations like this, flexibility is everything.
Capitalize on transfer bonuses. The 20% Capital One to Qantas bonus helped make this flight possible without draining our points.
Leverage credit card benefits. From the Venture X travel credit to the American Airlines checked bag perk, our cards saved the day.
Personally Recommended Credit Cards Mentioned in this Article
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is a premium travel card packed with valuable perks for frequent travelers. Key benefits include:
10,000 bonus miles each year (equal to $100 toward travel)
$300 annual travel credit for bookings made through Capital One Travel
Unlimited lounge access for you and two guests at Capital One Lounges and Priority Pass locations
Up to 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit every four years
Transfer partners for maximizing your miles across various airlines
Current sign-up bonus: Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months — worth at least $750 in travel, or more when transferred out.
The AAdvantage® Aviator® World Elite Business Mastercard® has a fantastic sign up bonus that is easy to attain. Key benefits include:
2X AAdvantage® miles on American Airlines purchases, office supply stores, telecom, and car rentals
First checked bag free for you and up to 4 companions on domestic AA flights
Preferred boarding on American Airlines flights
25% inflight savings on food, beverages, and Wi-Fi
Companion Certificate each year you spend $30,000 or more — allowing a guest to fly with you for just $99 (plus taxes and fees)
No foreign transaction fees
Current sign-up bonus: Earn 70,000 AAdvantage® bonus miles after making your first purchase and paying the $95 annual fee in the first 90 days.
The Citi® / AAdvantage® Business™ World Elite Mastercard® is another great card to hold if you fly AA often or are looking to stash AA points. Key benefits include:
$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $99 thereafter.
2X miles on eligible American Airlines purchases, telecommunications merchants, cable and satellite providers, car rental merchants, and gas stations.
1X mile on all other purchases.
First checked bag free on domestic American Airlines itineraries for you and up to 4 companions on the same reservation.
Preferred boarding on American Airlines flights.
25% savings on inflight Wi-Fi when you use your card on American Airlines flights.
No foreign transaction fees, making it a great option for international travel.
Companion Certificate each year you spend $30,000 or more, allowing a guest to fly with you for $99 plus taxes and fees..
Current sign up bonus is 75,000 AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $5,000 in purchases within the first 5 months of account opening.
Final Thoughts
When travel plans fall apart, having a solid points strategy makes all the difference. While the canceled Lufthansa flight was a headache, the combination of points, miles, and credit card perks turned a potentially stressful situation into a (mostly) smooth reroute.
Have you ever had a last-minute flight cancellation? How did you handle it? Let me know in the comments!
Let me know if you’d like any more changes!
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