The first days of September, as the school year begins and the weather remains ideal for an overseas vacation, offer a window of opportunity for inexpensive flights. This year, the Jewish holidays arrive earlier than usual, meaning the period for finding discounted fares is especially concentrated and brief: just eight days, from Sept. 1-8, compared with 18 days last September.
Data from lastminute.co.il show that travelers who act quickly could find lower prices in early September than during the same period last year on several popular routes. The sharpest decline was recorded for Burgas, where the average fare fell 21% to $245. Bucharest fares dropped 18% to $283, while prices declined 12% for Barcelona, 7% for Tivat and 6% for Athens. Flights to Larnaca can also be found from $130 and to Athens from $196.
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However, the presence of low-cost airlines does not guarantee lower prices. On the Prague route, for example, which is served by Smartwings, the average fare rose 8%. Prices to popular city destinations such as Vienna, Budapest and Paris are already 22% to 33% higher than last year.
*Average price per passenger in economy class, excluding baggage. The 2025 window covered Sept. 1-18, a period of 18 days, while the 2026 window covers Sept. 1-8, just eight days, because the holidays begin earlier.
“This year, as noted, the Jewish holidays fall earlier on the calendar, with Rosh Hashanah beginning as early as Sept. 11,” said Assaf Greenberg, vice president of marketing at lastminute.co.il. “That creates a short, attractive window between the end of summer and the start of the holidays, shrinking from 18 days to only eight.
“Those accustomed to waiting until early September to find lower prices will need to act more quickly this year and should not assume the same window will remain open for long.”
Israir has also launched a promotion covering the pre-holiday period and the Jewish holidays, offering vacation packages to a range of destinations. Prices begin at $389 per person for a package to Limassol from Sept. 7-10. During Rosh Hashanah and Sukkot, the airline is also offering packages to Protaras, Thessaloniki, Prague, Varna and Rome.