The cease-fire has taken effect, and the pace of foreign airlines returning to Israel is accelerating. Following Lufthansa and British Airways, Air France announced that it would begin flying again on Saturday, and the Italian airline ITA Airways also plans to resume flights to Ben Gurion Airport starting February 1. The return of these airlines will not only impact flight prices to European destinations but also expand options for flights to the United States, a highly sought-after route that has been exclusively operated by El Al for a long time.
Until recently, those seeking connecting flights to the United States had limited options, such as flying via Athens with Aegean Airlines, via Warsaw with LOT Polish Airlines, or with Air Europa, which required an overnight layover in Madrid in each direction. Soon, Israeli travelers will have more options.
Yaniv Lennis, founder of the Secret Flights website, told Ynet: "Our memory is short, but until the war, direct flights from American Airlines and United to the U.S. were sold here at prices ranging from $500 to $600. Currently, the same tickets are being sold by El Al and Arkia at 150% higher prices. With the return of Lufthansa, Swiss, ITA Airways, and Austrian Airlines, the market will be flooded with convenient and affordable alternatives for flights to North America. I hope President Trump will fulfill his promise to bring back American airlines like United, Delta, and American Airlines with sufficient frequency, allowing a return to normalcy, including more reasonable prices for direct flights to North America."
We searched for affordable connecting flights to the U.S. for the coming month and found the following prices:
- $557: Air Europa, a 'lite' ticket with no checked baggage, includes a layover of about 20 hours in Madrid each direction. Advantage: low cost. Disadvantage: requires an overnight stay in Madrid.
- $691: LOT Polish Airlines, a 'lite' ticket with no checked baggage, includes a layover of 2-3 hours in Poland.
- $650: ITA Airways, the most cost-effective option we found, includes baggage and a 2-hour layover in Italy. This flight will be available starting mid-February, with morning flights from Tel Aviv resuming.
- $668: Swiss Airlines, with a 12-hour layover in Zurich on the outbound leg and a 1.5-hour layover on the return leg. Ticket includes carry-on luggage.
- $680: Lufthansa, with a long 14-hour layover in Germany, includes carry-on luggage.
- $900: British Airways, returning to Israel in April, with a layover in London starting at 2 hours, includes carry-on luggage.
Darren Rozovsky, CEO of Lastminute.co.il, told Ynet that the "entry of Arkia into the U.S. flight market and the return of the Lufthansa Group will certainly lead to lower prices, especially for flights with layovers. However, the prices for direct flights to New York remain very high. We’re hopeful for the return of American airlines."
With the expected return of British Airways in April, ahead of Passover, we checked ticket prices for flights to London. All the tickets we reviewed include carry-on luggage.
Flight Prices to London – Passover Eve (Departure April 9, Return April 16):
- Wizz Air – starting at $722.
- Israir – starting at $758.
- El Al (does not operate on Saturdays) – starting at $788 per passenger.
For those not observing Shabbat and wanting to arrive exactly for Passover Eve (Departure April 12, Return April 16):
- Israir – starting at $595.
- Wizz Air – starting at $659.
- British Airways (early morning flight on April 12) – starting at $1,110.
Additional Prices for Random Dates:
- Departure April 20, Return April 25:
- El Al – starting at $703.50.
- British Airways – starting at $654.
- Wizz Air – starting at $1,101.
- Israir – starting at $1,177.
Departure May 9, Return May 16:
- British Airways – starting at $467.
- Wizz Air – starting at $507.
- El Al – starting at $508.50.
- Israir – starting at $723.
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Departure June 1, Return June 5 (Shavuot holiday):
- EasyJet – starting at $503.
- British Airways – starting at $553.
- Israir – starting at $664.
- El Al – starting at $703.50.
- Wizz Air – starting at $712.
Departure July 28, Return August 3:
- El Al – starting at $599.
- British Airways – starting at $488.
- Israir – starting at $716.
- Wizz Air – starting at $778.