Delta originally flew from Atlanta to Tel Aviv, but quickly realized that flying from JFK was more profitable.
They flew once daily from JFK until 5/26/16 when they added 4 weekly flights to the route. It didn’t last long. Even before they started flying the additional flights, they announced that they would cancel the additional 4 weekly flights effective 9/6,
Ynet is reporting that Delta will add 7 new weekly flights between JFK and Tel Aviv effective 6/17/19. Their flights should mimic the timing of United’s 2 daily flights from Newark with afternoon and evening departures from NYC and morning and evening departures from Tel Aviv.
The new flights are not yet on sale.
For those keeping score at home, that means that flights between North America and Tel Aviv next summer should look like:
- Boston: 3 weekly flights on El Al (777-200)
- JFK: 14 weekly flights on Delta (A330-300), 16 weekly flights on El Al (747-400, 787-9)
- Los Angeles: 5 weekly flights on El Al (787-9).
- Miami: 3 weekly flights on El Al (787-9).
- Montreal: 3 weekly flights on Air Canada (A330-300), 2 weekly flights on Air Transat (A330-200)
- Newark: 14 weekly flights on United (777-200, 777-300), 6 weekly flights on El Al (787-9)
- San Francisco: 7 weekly flights on United (787-9), 3 weekly flights on El Al (787-9).
- Toronto: 7 weekly flights on Air Canada (787-9), 3 weekly flights on El Al (787-9).
- Washington DC: 3 weekly flights on United (777-200)
That’s 89 weekly nonstop flights between North American and Tel Aviv, pretty incredible. The only question is why American can’t figure out Tel Aviv when the other airlines are making a mint off of the route?
What’s your preferred airline to Tel Aviv?
I thought Elal was getting rid of all 747 flights in 2018? And as far as LY in SFO, I’ll believe it when I see it.
That’s what is currently on the schedule. What will actually happen…who knows.
American can’t figures it out because they don’t want to pay millions of dollars due to TWA
An insider says this is fake news, but who knows for sure.
Either way, a profitable route would make millions of dollars, so it’s strange they can’t come to a settlement if that’s the issue.
https://twitter.com/xJonNYC/status/1019358211072282624
https://twitter.com/IsraelMatzav/status/1024359950867472385
Great experiences with Air Canada. (Via BWI and Reagan)
Would The prices go down due to less demand?
I think you mean would the prices go down due to more supply?
I really wish AA would get back on the TLV route. Instead we have to fly to LHR or MAD just to get to Tel Aviv. I’ll be switching loyalty in 2019 because of this. Will have to check out UA and DL
Not hapenning. Trust me – not just for TLV – switch your business away from AA and experience decent service
Dan can you please post best way to travel with points/miles on delta?
https://www.dansdeals.com/airfare-deals/israel-flights/delta-opens-floodgates-nonstop-saver-coach-award-space-jfk-tel-aviv/
Thanks for the post. Dan, what would you prefer, United Polaris or Elal 787 business class?
They’re close. If you eat the regular El Al meals then that’s probably an advantage for them. If you only eat mehadrin then I’d probably do United.
@Dan Any word on when the additional flights from JFK will go live?
Read the post.
Delta is easily the best to NYC.
cant american figure out TLV because of #TWA
they just cancelled some ord to asia routes so maybe they wake up and start
An insider says this is fake news, but who knows for sure.
Either way, a profitable route would make millions of dollars, so it’s strange they can’t come to a settlement if that’s the issue.
https://twitter.com/xJonNYC/status/1019358211072282624
https://twitter.com/IsraelMatzav/status/1024359950867472385
Elal from EWR Only 6?!?!
That’s all that’s on the schedule for next summer as of now.
When? Where?
I hear transat flies from Toronto as well.
False.
So nobody is flying out and in from Chicago?
I don’t believe any airline has ever flown nonstop from ORD-TLV.
I’d wager that will change within the next couple of years though.
I thought El Al had that route in the 80s.
It stopped in NYC or Toronto.
LY flew ORD _TLV in the 90’s non stop . It was with a 763 i took that flight a few times
Everything I’ve seen has said that those flights made a stop in NYC or Toronto.
Are you sure there was no stop?
Yep 100% Non Stop. I also flew them when they made the stops in Montreal in the late 70’s , you were transferred via a people mover ( A truck that lifted up and has seats on it) so you didn’t touch the ground to a 737 charter with LY FA’s and then in the 80’s they did the stops in Toronto and JFK where the 747 continued and the plane was almost empty , this was when you didn’t need to clear passport control and customs at your 1st port of entry.
Yes – there was a short period of time that the flight went TLV/ORD/LAX as well
I got on the El Al flight from ORD as it landed in Newark to take on more passengers before it continued to TLV. This was on a 763 and in 1998 on a Saturday night in the summer so the flight only took on passengers in Newark at 2am and the whole airport was deserted.
That’s almost 10,000 km.
I wonder if the 763 could stay so long in the air.
Actually it can do much more than that.
The 767-200ER has a range of 12200 KM
Which is 11 km longer than TLV-LAX, but to ORD it is 9946 KM
I flew the flight from ord-tlv non stop in 97
I flew ORD-TLV nonstop in ’96. I think the confusion is that it was a YYZ-TLV flight that stopped at ORD. In later years it became ORD-TLV with a stop in NYC.
It is my understanding that the Israeli Airport Authority views American as inheriting/responsible for the large decades old debt TWA owes them from before American’s takeover. Until a resolution is reached with that, American is persona non grata. IAA may seize a plane as collateral should an American plane land there.
Why didn’t they seize any AA planes when they flew there 2015-2016?
An insider says this is fake news, but who knows for sure.
Either way, a profitable route would make millions of dollars, so it’s strange they can’t come to a settlement if that’s the issue.
https://twitter.com/xJonNYC/status/1019358211072282624
https://twitter.com/IsraelMatzav/status/1024359950867472385
I thought they couldn’t because it was, for all intents and purposes, still a US Airways route? I thought the route ended when they completely merged into one carrier, which is why the idea that it was due to the TWA debt continued to be widely believed.
Does it make sense to fly with delta with points to Israel? their cost is high in my mind. Dan what do you think?
Preferred airline?
Paying with miles the only nonstop is United.
With Delta and ElAl it’s almost like they don’t have a mileage program.
Paying cash it’s usually far cheaper with a stop in Europe.
ElAl has a mileage program?!? 😛
They have miles. But no program.
Anyone have experience with Norweigen Air to Israel + or –
Wasn’t debt to IAA in addition to pensioners?
Delta is my airline of choice from NYC area to TLV, would pay a few more $ to fly Delta than ELAL
United flies from SFO using a Boeing 777-300ER
This schedule is for next summer.
Are you saying that UA is returning to the 787 on the SFO run? They just went to the 777 for its increased seating. There was talk of a second daily flight on that route; I figured that the larger aircraft was a more cost-effective alternative.
They went to the 77W to scare away El Al and to add summer capacity.
The 787 returns in October and we’ll have to see what happens next Summer.
Turkish Airlines. By far the best airline JFK to TLV, even with the stopover in IST.
I flew BOS-ISTTLV and back once. If you don’t mind looking over your shoulder every other minute in the airport – the planes out of BOS were new and nice. I’d need to be saving a lot of $ to do that again anytime soon.
Curios if dl will put a350 suites on this route compete with ly Ua…
Both flights will be A330-300s.
Hopefully they switch to the a350 before then. The PE will give them a massive advantage over UA and will increase competition in the PE market. LY currently charges about $2250 for PE RT.
Unlikely.
Why ? If its really such a profitable route I would expect them to keep up with the competition
Do they have any a350 flying jfk ?
Will this be permanent or just for the summer?
I just can’t see the IAD- TLV working out. I’m not a professional with the demographics, but as I pointed out in the posting of the United IAD announcement, there isn’t going to be a huge enough local market for support it. If they are relying on a big portion of the business coming from connecting flights into their network, then they will be following down the failed path that Delta did with ATL-TLV. Plus, Atlanta has a larger local market than Northern Virginia and still decided it was more profitable to move to JFK. Even United’s Houston hub seems more attractive than IAD, as you have a larger ‘local audience’ and can capture the connecting flights from large local cities like Dallas, Denver, Phoenix, etc. If I lived in Cinci, Cleveland, Detroit, Memphis- what difference would it be to me to connect in IAD or EWR with United? Just my two-cents.
Based on Federation stats, the Greater Washington community has a population of nearly 300,000 yidden. This makes it the 3rd largest community in the USA.
https://www.shalomdc.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/DC-presentation-main-021118.pdf
Plus IAD is one of the fastest growing airports in the country.
More than half the tourists traveling to Israel are not Jewish. Jerusalem is not a holy city for just one religion. I would call it a Christian mecca, but somehow that doesn’t sound right.
Michelle, I understand that the Greater DC/Balti area is among the largest of US Jewish population. I could be mistaken, but I believe the majority of the Jewish communities (particularly the Orthodox) live in the northern suburbs of DC (Silver Spring, Rockville) spreading north towards Pikesville (Balti), 70 miles from IAD. IAD is about 30 miles SE of DC city center. For me living in Northern NJ, that would be like me travelling to JFK (which can inconveniently take 90+minutes during morning and afternoon rush). Non-Stop is very convenient and worthwhile for many. I’ll wait and see if the added $ and travel time to the airport makes it worth a Non-Stop.
Bob, I hear you. I know many gentiles who have visited Israel for a religious experience. I could be wrong, but I think if airlines were looking to capture gentile markets (along with some Jews) then they can enter Houston, Dallas, certainly Chicago- as their metro populations are top 5 in the US. Or, look at the Mexico City region (21+ million population)- why wouldn’t that work with gentiles? Just an interesting thought….
If you check the website, you will see that only the population of DC, VA, and Suburban MD are included in the survey. The Baltimore community is a separate, significantly large community.
Dulles is almost due west (slightly north) from DC. It is 30 miles and 30 minutes from Rockville; 60 miles and 60 minutes from Baltimore. 30 miles SE of DC city center is somewhere in Chesapeake Bay.
Any chances of more saver award availability on Delta?
and Chicago remains a Delta orphan…
and a United, American, El-Al, orphas as well…..
The question for American is not whether they can make money flying to TLV — especially from their Chicago hub — but whether they can make more money flying to Asia. There are a limited number of gates at major airports, and a limited number of planes if the airlines don’t want to own too many when the next recession hits and fuel costs keep rising.
1.5 billion people in China, 9 million people in Israel. Which market would you prefer?
only 6 flights on elal from ewr? i believe its 10
This is for next summer.
so there dropping a few flights from ewr thats bad news those flights are always full
I would rather change flights at IAD than JFK, any day of the week!
I know this is an old kvetch, but why not BWI where us Yidden live, rather than Dulles which is as fast as Philadelphia from Baltimore! Maybe if IAD takes off we’ll find someone. Sigh.
Because United’s hub is in IAD.
IAD is a United hub, but what else is out there? I think there is a minimal business related population (as opposed to San Fran’s large Silicon Valley wanting Tel Aviv). You won’t see Israeli government officials flying that to come to DC, as they have their own transportation. I flew out of IAD once to go to Venice, and it’s FAR from the Jewish epicenter of Maryland. The same Delta logic moving from ATL to JFK will apply after a year or two or lackluster results- and will simply increase EWR flights.
The IAD flight is intended for connection traffic. The 2 EWR flights are for origin/destination traffic.
People from Baltimore who value their time are going to drive to IAD over connecting.
Which Israeli officials are you referring to?? Besides for top elected officials there are numerous different levels of government employees who travel on regular commercial routes to DC on a regular basis. For coordination in different areas . I have a cousin who is a prosecutor in israel and she comes into DC regularly… there’s literally 100’s of of government employees from both us and israel who fly back and forth. Also think; israel lobby in DC area. Think Baltimore: most people there I know are excited for this route. There options till now was either stopping over in Canada or Europe or taking train/flight to NYC.
I think it will be a very successful route and i think the above mentioned reasons were definitely considered.
I fly united, the employees are trained and don’t have the elal arrogance
Dan is travelmerry a trust-able site to book flights?
Im trying to book jfk or ewr to tlv for Dec 19 with a return Dec 31 at night or jan 1. Im not finding anything in saver and even to purchase its coming out really high priced. i need business. anyone have any ideas?
I have united and chase points (about 500K)
Hi, does anyone know a good and inexpensive consolidator for business class tickets to tlv and other destinations?
With Delta’s new hub in Seattle I was really hoping to see directs in and out of SEA
when will united have more flights a day from newark to tel aviv ?
They’ll probably upgrade the 777-200 to a 777-300 before even considering a 3rd daily flight.
hopefully the change planes quick- the 777-200 is a wreck compared to the 300. depending on which tail you get the pieces are falling off and the bathroom is ghetto. and thats in business. they really did a great job on Polaris in the 300. id imagine it may also have to do with the old continental crew that they still use for it. wasnt that an issue with the night 90 flight before they brought in the 77w?
So it’s great for you on the 300 because you’re in Polaris in business class. For the rest of the world, all of in either economy or economy plus it is a DISASTER. The seats are narrower, the pitch is smaller, the aisles are impossible to walk through. I’m glad you are more comfortable, but the flights are just awful!. Even the airport people in Tel Aviv have told me that people are really complaining getting off those flights. When the outage 2 EWR flights change over i think you’ll see a lot of people looking for other options.
when will hapen ?
Flying motzoei yom kipur BA to LHR to TLV.
Seats can be reservced 24 hrs in advance, which is on yom kipur. by the time YT is over all seats will be gone. other option is $35-50 per person, per SEGMENT. Any suggestions to get a reasonable seat with such 2 hr limitation?
want to sit with family. and no middle seats
If you happen to be flying with an infant or a minor you may be able to get it for free.
Otherwise try making an excuse why they should reserve you a seat.
I’ve had luck with Swiss
Handicapped choose seats for free,
Slight digression, but wanted to detail my terrible experience at Ben Gurion airport this past Sunday. Flying Tel Aviv to Iceland the lines at passport control were insane. Unfortunately, the machine could not recognize my sons passport and were told to wait in line. It was at least 45 minutes to get through and the line was whoever pushed their way to the front first. Where is the management?
After getting through and changing our gate at the last minute we boarded 90 mins late, the wow pilot announces that this was due to completely avoidable mismanagement by Ben gurion airport.
He announced after the delay can everyone please sit down so we can finally get out of here with disgust towards bg.
No wonder wow is pulling out of Israel market.
Being treated like cattle by the management of Ben Gurion is unacceptable.
I would be happy if I had to wait only 45 minutes for passport control at EWR or JFK as I do not want to spend $100 for global entry. I have rarely had to wait more than 15 minutes at Israeli passport control, either entering or leaving the country.
Elal’s new 787 has an AWESOME seat the service has improved but can still use a boost
i just flew them monday
ELAL 787 may be good for biz seats, but BAD NEWS for ordinary coach people, where share your seat with your ajacent is mandatory now. yikes
Between flights 26 and 28 out of EWR only 6 flights weekly?
Dan
Do u know why Elal is stopping the Day Flight to EWR ??
zee, cause everyone , myself included, prefer the night flight.
Many do wantvthe day flight so they dont need to do shachris on the plane
Arkia has brand new a330 which supposedly 4 times a week tlv/nyc end of 2019/start of 2020
Any idea on timing on the new delta route?
LY from Boston is a 767 not 777-200
When do good deals come out for flights from New York to Israel for the dates of early December?