Israel’s national carrier El Al on Tuesday announced a special sales campaign for flights between April and June, offering discounted fares to destinations in Europe, the United States and Asia, as the airline faces potential fines totaling about 230 million shekels, or roughly $63 million, from the Israel Competition Authority.
Round-trip fares in the promotion start at $179 to Athens, $279 to Italy, $299 to Madrid, $329 to Barcelona, $399 to Amsterdam, $479 to London, $949 to Bangkok, $899 to Boston and $979 to New York, among other destinations.
El Al said the prices apply to LITE round-trip tickets, which include a carry-on suitcase and a backpack. For U.S. destinations, fares are for CLASSIC tickets, which also include checked baggage and seat selection.
Discounted tickets are available through March 1 on El Al’s website and via travel agents.
The airline’s subsidiary Sun D’Or is also offering fares starting at $119 to Cyprus, $179 to Greece, $199 to Varna, $279 to Poland and $319 to Salzburg.
A comparison of fares for selected routes shows mixed results. On routes to Italy — Rome, Milan and Venice — for departures between April 12 and June 16, El Al is offering fares starting at $279 including a carry-on. Wizz Air offers tickets starting at $137, but without a carry-on. Adding baggage narrows the price gap.
On the Paris route for the same period, El Al offers fares starting at $399 including a carry-on, compared with about $617 on Transavia without a carry-on, making El Al significantly cheaper in that case.
For Madrid, for example between June 8 and June 11, El Al offers fares starting at $299 including a carry-on. Air Europa lists fares from $299 for the same dates, but without a carry-on.
On long-haul routes, El Al’s fares appear competitive compared with Israeli rivals. For New York departures between April 20 and May 31, El Al offers fares starting at $979 including carry-on and checked baggage. Arkia lists fares starting at $1,148 for similar dates, also including baggage. For Bangkok, El Al offers fares starting at $949 including checked baggage, compared with $1,048 on Arkia.
The promotion comes as the Israel Competition Authority has announced its intention, subject to a hearing, to impose two unprecedented financial penalties on El Al totaling about 230 million shekels.
The first proposed fine, 121 million shekels, relates to allegations that El Al abused its dominant position on 38 routes during the war period from October 2023 to May 2024 by charging excessive and unfair prices. The authority said average ticket prices rose about 16%, and up to 31% on certain routes. It also found that prices increased by an average of 25% even on flights that were not fully booked.
The second proposed fine, about 110 million shekels, concerns allegations that El Al refused to provide Arkia with access to hangars for aircraft maintenance during the war. The authority said El Al adopted a policy of what it called “soft refusal” based on false justifications, harming Arkia’s ability to compete. It also announced plans to impose personal fines of up to about 500,000 shekels each on two senior company officials.
El Al has rejected the allegations. In response to the pricing claims, the airline said it “categorically rejects” the assertion that it charged excessive prices during the war and argued there is no precedent for defining an average 16% price increase as excessive.
Regarding the hangar services, El Al said it complies with all legal requirements, including competition laws, and maintained that it assisted Israeli airlines during the war beyond what was legally required, including providing services and hangar access to Arkia when possible.