Delta Airlines mulls resuming Israel flights before April

The American airline Delta Air Lines is considering moving forward the date of resuming its flights to and from Israel, a source close to the matter told Globes.

In the past, the airline has extended its flight cancellations until April 1, but the announcement of the return of major European airlines to Israel including Lufthansa Group, Air France, British Airways and easyJet has raised the possibility that US carriers will join the resumption wave. And return to Israel.

It has been possible for some time to book Delta flights from Tel Aviv to New York in April, but consumers have been hesitant because the airline has not yet officially announced the resumption of flights on a specific date as is customary for airlines resuming service to Penn. Gorion Airport.

There is great optimism in the tourism industry that Delta’s return will at least happen, as planned, in April. Whether in the wake of the wave of foreign companies officially announcing that they will return to Israel, or also thanks to political pressure in the United States.

Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) spoke about the issue, and believes that American airlines will restore their flights to Israel within 30 days. In an interview conducted with him in Washington, D.C., Cruz said that the suspension of flights, in his opinion, is not for safety considerations, but for political considerations, and according to his opinion, there is interference from labor unions, especially the Flight Attendants Union, which expressed anti-Israel positions. Cruz, who will chair the Senate Commerce Committee, indicated that he is able to take significant steps to restore flights, and expressed confidence that the situation will be resolved by the end of February.

Before the outbreak of war on October 7, 2023, Delta operated seven weekly flights between New York and Tel Aviv, seven weekly flights between Atlanta and Tel Aviv and three weekly flights between Boston and Tel Aviv. In May 2024, Delta resumed flights to New York and Tel Aviv for three months, but suspended them in August due to the escalation in the north, and has since continuously extended its suspension.

Delta is not the only American airline whose flights to Israel were disrupted due to the war. United Airlines suspended its flights in October 2023 and returned for several months in 2024, while American Airlines has not resumed its flights since October 2023 at all. Only Delta has set a date for extending its cancellation, while United and American have canceled their flights until further notice. Before the war, the three American airlines together operated 55 weekly flights between Tel Aviv and various American destinations.

There is no good news about ticket prices between Israel and the United States

Delta’s potential return to Israel has not yet led to lower prices. A selection of random dates in April by “Globes” found that return tickets for Delta were more expensive than tickets for El Al.

An April 2 return ticket to New York and a return to Tel Aviv on April 17, 1943 costs $1,290 for a Delta ticket, $1,290 for an El Al ticket, and $2,098 for an Arkia ticket. A return ticket on April 7 to New York and return to Tel Aviv on April 17 costs $1,833 on Delta, $1,365 on Al Al and $2,048 on Arkia. An April 10 return ticket to New York and an April 20 return to Tel Aviv costs $2,278 on Delta, $1,290 on Al Al, and $2,398 on Arkia.

Published by Globes, Israel Business News – en.globes.co.il – on January 22, 2025.

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