Connection flights offer cheaper long-haul options

Flights between Israel and long-haul destinations like the US and Thailand have become obscenely expensive as foreign airlines stay away from departures El Al Israel Airlines Ltd (level:Ellal) with a virtual monopoly. According to El Al’s third-quarter report, the airline had an 86.4% market share of flights between Israel and North America and a 70.6% market share of flights to South and East Asia.

But after the ceasefire with Hezbollah and the return of many foreign airlines to Israel (although not American airlines), there are more options for connecting flights to North America and Asia at much cheaper prices than El Al.

There are currently 22 foreign airlines flying to and from Ben Gurion Airport out of more than 80 that operated before the war. But among those flights that will resume in the next few days are the Spanish airline Air Europe, which will provide five weekly flights with good connections to South America, and Blue Bird, which will provide three weekly flights to Rome.

Hungarian low-cost carrier Wizz Air, which will initially offer flights only to Cyprus but from January to other European destinations such as London. The Wizz Air website is offering return tickets to London in February for just $232 compared to El Al’s $500 fares, and of course from London there are a host of cheaper return tickets to North America.

Much lower than high

Polish airline Lotte Airlines will resume its flights to Israel next week. Globes found connecting flights in February to New York via Warsaw, with an hour and 55-minute wait in the Polish capital, for $619 round-trip, about half the cost of a return ticket from El Al Tel Aviv to New York, which ranges between $1,200 and $1,300. In economy class. On some dates in February, El Al economy class tickets to New York were already sold out.

On long-haul flights to the east, Israel was well served by Emirati airlines. Etihad Airways intends to increase the number of its weekly flights between Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi from 10 to 19, and with six weekly flights operated by flydubai, there will be 25 weekly flights between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, a major hub for flights to Asia. and Oceania. Globes found a connecting flight in February from Tel Aviv to Bangkok on Etihad Airways with a five-hour wait in Abu Dhabi on the way there, and a two-hour wait on the return flight for just $782, while El Al’s Tel Aviv-Bangkok tickets Trips start at $1,300.

Of course, connecting flights are much more inconvenient than direct flights. It adds a significant amount of time to the trip and can become stressful if the first flight is delayed and the second flight is missed – especially if the second flight is with a different airline. Furthermore, booking with foreign airlines carries the risk of the security situation suddenly escalating and flights being cancelled, while El Al and other Israeli airlines provided a reliable schedule throughout the war.

Extension of cancellations

There was a reminder of this fragility earlier this week when flights were briefly halted at Ben Gurion Airport after the Israeli military successfully intercepted a missile fired at Israel by Houthi rebels in Yemen. Following the incident, Air France extended the suspension of its Israeli flights until January 9. Despite the ceasefire, the Lufthansa Group, including Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings, as well as Italian airline ITA, have extended the suspension of their flights until the end of January 2025. KLM, Iberia and Air India will not return until at least March. Croatia Airlines will not return to Ben Gurion Airport until at least May.

US airlines American Airlines and United Airlines said they will not resume flights to Israel until further notice, but Delta Air Lines is scheduled to resume flights to Ben Gurion Airport in April 2025.

Published by Globes, Israel Business News – en.globes.co.il – on December 18, 2024.

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