Question:
Is there an issue of ribis to buy a plane ticket from an airline like El Al (Jewish owned) where if you pay in advanced they give you a cheaper price for the plane ticket?
Answer:
Many Poskim permit advancing money for a discount as long as a kinyan was made prohibiting retracting.Therefore you can buy the cheaper ticket.
Sources:
Y:D 176:8, Ritvoh 7 Nimukey Yosef Bavaa Basra 86-87, Darkey Moshe CH:M 333, ibid Shach 14, ibid Ketsos HaShulchan 5, Teshuvas Mabit 1:132, Shevus Yaakov 2:184, Machaney Efrayim Ribis 31 & Sechirus Poalim 2. Teshuvas Chelkas Yaakov 3:204.
What do you mean prohibiting retracting? Does that mean in a case where you can’t return the ticket at all? In most cases you could cancel the ticket however with some sort of penalty
It is sufficient that there is a commitment on behalf of EL AL.
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