Courtesy of JTA. Photo credit: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto
El Al planes are seen at the Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv on Dec. 31, 2022
(JTA) — Israel’s national airline, El Al, has vowed not to change ticket prices to four international destinations through the end of the year amid security tensions that have led many foreign carriers to cancel flights to the country and created disarray for air travelers.
El Al announced Wednesday that travelers will be able to fly its routes to, Athens, Vienna, Dubai or Larnaca in Cyprus for prices ranging from $199 to $349. From these destinations, they can catch connecting flights with other airlines. The announcement followed a meeting between El Al CEO Dina Ben Tal Ganancia and Israel’s economy minister, Nir Barkat.
El Al pledged to add flights to these four hubs, making around 80,000 economy-class tickets available under the program.
The announcement comes after public backlash against price increases by El Al during a time when many international carriers have suspended service to Israel, leading to a scarcity of flights. El Al has missile defense technology on its planes and has kept service going uninterrupted since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7.
“El Al is really price-gouging and taking advantage of the lack of competition,” Adi Livne, an Israeli traveler who was stranded in Spain for several weeks before booking a flight home with the Israeli carrier Israir, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency last week. “It’s pretty ugly to exploit a crisis like that. It’s not something I would have expected, given the Israeli sense of solidarity.”
This sentiment gained traction last Thursday after El Al announced record profits of $147.7 million for the preceding quarter.
