As Passover approaches, Israeli travel agency Issta is entering the competitive US flight market by offering exclusive flights to New York via the Italian airline Neos. The flights, priced at $1,329 for a round-trip ticket with luggage included, involve a three-hour stopover in Milan where passengers will transfer from a narrow-body aircraft to a Dreamliner.
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In a check carried out Tuesday, no other available flights to New York during Passover were found for less than $2,000 per ticket. For example, round-trip flights with El Al, departing on April 11 and returning on April 29, start from $2,157, with luggage and up to 48-hour pre-departure cancellation included in the pricing.
A comparable journey flying with United Airlines starts from $2,842, luggage included, with a stopover in Zurich on the outbound flight. Non-direct flights with airlines such as Air Brussels, Lufthansa, and Air France, which include a stopover in Europe, are even pricier. For example, an outbound flight on April 11 with Air Brussels, including two stopovers and a one-stop return flight on April 29, costs $3,382.
A similar case is seen in Austrian Airlines; a round trip departing on April 15 with a stopover in Vienna and returning on April 29, with a Vienna stopover included, comes in at $3,331, with luggage included. A flight with Lufthansa, including stopovers in Frankfurt or Munich, starts from $2,691, luggage included. With United Airlines, direct flights on the same dates start at $2,783.
Tali Noy, Issta's VP of Marketing and Sales, commented on the company's new venture into the US flight market ahead of Passover. "The Passover holiday is characterized by relatively long vacations, and demand to fly to the U.S. and New York in particular continues to be a trend in 2024," she said.
"At the same time, due to the lack number of flights heading to New York, ticket prices are high and the availability is decreasing the closer we get to Passover. In light of the significant demand, Issta decided to market flights to New York at significantly lower prices compared to other companies."
Bluebird flying further
Greek airline Bluebird Airways has revealed plans to expand its flights departing from Tel Aviv. Starting April 9, the airline will introduce flights to destinations including Crete, Rhodes, and, marking a first for the Passover season, the island of Kos.
Additionally, the airline will be offering three weekly to Berlin. It's worth noting that since February, Bluebird Airways has been providing flights to several other European cities such as Athens, Larnaca, Barcelona, Prague, Budapest, and Rome.