In most cases, you can extend your ticket either before you depart or after you arrive in Israel. ​ If you would like to extend once you are in Israel, you must contact Gil Travel, Birthright Israel’s official travel agency, and not the airline you traveled to Israel with. ​ Gil Travel: https://www.giltravel-br.com/ Be sure to allow plenty of time for your extension request to be arranged by Gil Travel. Most extension requests must be submitted at least 7-10 business days before departure. ​ Although some airlines permit flight extensions to be made in Israel, it can be a time consuming process, and seats are limited. Some airlines DO NOT permit extensions once in Israel at all. ​ Please note: If you have confirmed an extension and then cancel or change your trip, you will be forfeiting your extension, including all fees paid to Gil Travel and the airline. Birthright Israel is not responsible for extensions processed with Gil Travel or with the airlines. Extensions are the individual’s responsibility.

Your ticket can be extended, but some airlines limit how many tickets can be extended in a group. Please understand availability for date changes can become very limited or even nonexistent during peak summer. You can generally extend your ticket up to 2-3 months from the date you depart depending on the rules of the airlines. You will be on an organized group flight, which means you can only change the date of the return. You can not change the route on the ticket to include another destination. You will not be allowed to extend your ticket on the front end and meet the group in Israel.

If you will not be using your return ticket at all, you should formally forfeit your return ticket. To do so, you must notify us in advance or you may lose your deposit. Forfeiting your return flight is different from extending your return flight. By forfeiting your return ticket you will be canceling your return flight altogether and will be responsible for arranging your own flight home from Israel. To forfeit the return flight before the trip, email info@israeltm with the subject “Return Flight Forfeit.” If you decide to forfeit your return flight during the trip, notify the airline at least 24 hours in advance to avoid losing your deposit.