Israel’s national carrier, El Al, announced that it is stepping up services, offering more direct flights than ever before to major U.S. cities.
EL AL EXPANDS SERVICES
The enhanced services, set to begin in late October, will include 27 weekly flights to and from New York, six weekly flights to and from Florida, six weekly flights to and from Los Angeles, and three weekly flights to and from Boston, Massachusetts. In total, the airline will offer 42 direct weekly flights to the United States.
Following the announcement, many are speculating that the enhancement of El Al’s services is a response to the recent resumption of healthy competition between international carriers. Air France, United Airlines, Delta, Air Europa, and many more have announced the resumption of their Tel Aviv routes, effectively ending the El Al monopoly over flights to Tel Aviv that it has held since the start of Israel's war with Hamas in October 2023.
El Al is once again competing for the loyalty of passengers. But instead of lowering airfare prices—which have skyrocketed since October 2023—El Al is opting for a different strategy. Will the addition of direct flights impact the loyalty of Israeli customers despite having cheaper options? Only time will tell.