A resident of northern Israel sued Ukraine International Airlines for 21,000 shekels ($6,000) but ended up being forced to pay 4,000 shekels ($1,145) in compensation, Channel 2 reported.
According to the report, the passenger turned to small claims court claiming she had bought two round-trip tickets - for herself and a friend - from Israel to the Ukraine.
However, when she arrived at the airport, an airline representative did not allow her to board the plane, since the plane was full. Instead, she returned to Israel nine days later than originally planned.
Her inability to speak the local language, the passenger claimed, caused her panic, emotional distress, difficult feelings, and panic attacks. These impacted her ability to work and prevented her from being promoted.
The woman's friend, however, did succeed in boarding the plane.
Ukraine International Airlines said the woman had arrived at the airport late, but was offered two alternate tickets for a flight later that day. However, she refused to accept the offer.
"Every day, there are two flights from Kharkiv to Tel Aviv," a company spokesperson said. "She could have chosen to return to Israel any day she wanted, but she chose to return only nine days later."
In his ruling, Judge Rami Amit rejected the passenger's claims and said her testimony was not reliable. He also noted that the passenger did not have any documents supporting her claim, and remained in Kharkiv after meeting a young woman who offered to host her. The passenger was very enthusiastic about the option to study in Kharkiv in the future, Amit explained, and her life changed for the better as a result of the extra nine days she spent in the Ukraine.
The woman is to pay Ukraine International Airlines 4,000 shekels ($1,145) within thirty days.