El Al to Ramp Up Flights to U.S.

El Al Airlines plans to expand its service to several U.S. destinations, Globes reported on Wednesday, citing sources close to the matter.

The ramp-up will start in June on routes between Tel Aviv and New York, Newark, Los Angeles and Miami, according to the report.

The number of flights to New York (including Newark) will rise from three daily flights to four; from Tel Aviv to Miami and from Tel Aviv to Los Angeles from three each to five.

As pandemic restrictions abate, other airlines are making similar plans.

Delta is upping its weekly TA-NY run from 7 to 10, and from June 1, it will operate two daily flights on the route.

United Airlines is also increasing the frequency of its flights from 13 weekly flights at present to 24 in the summer, including a renewal of the Chicago route from next week, and San Francisco in June.

American Airlines is also is launching daily flights between Tel Aviv and New York later this week, and from June 5, three weekly flights between Tel Aviv and Miami. From November 1, it says it will offer three weekly flights between Tel Aviv and Dallas.

All this while incoming tourism to Israel remains on hold indefinitely, except for a pilot project for tour groups set to begin May 23.

Globes also noted that “flights in the coming weeks are nearly fully booked. The fact that Israelis can enter the U.S. without going into isolation has been enough to fill the flights. The competition has also brought down prices, with fares available between Tel Aviv and New York for just $600 return.”