In a moment we close one year after the war and the Israeli aviation industry still faces significant challenges. Ahead of the holiday season, and following the recent tensions in the north of the country, many foreign airlines continue to reduce their operations in Israel and even cancel the routes upon a new announcement, which leads to a sharp increase in the prices of flights on the Israeli airlines.
Lack of seats leads to a spike in prices
Data that can be seen in flight search engines indicate that holiday flight prices have reached new highs. A plane ticket to New York during the holidays may reach more than $7,000 in business class, when the prices of flights in tourist class have also increased significantly and it is almost impossible to find free seats.
The main reason for the sharp increase in prices is the lack of available seats. The demand for flights during the holidays is always high, but this year the situation is particularly extreme due to the absence of foreign companies.
At the same time as the abandonment of the foreign companies, including Delta, United, Lufthansa and British Airways, the Israeli passenger is forced to rely only on flights of Israeli companies. This phenomenon stems from the desire of Israeli passengers to ensure the existence of their flight in a period of uncertainty.
As a result, companies such as Elel, Israir and Arkiye report unprecedented demand, with almost full occupancy on many flights for the upcoming holiday period. This situation creates tremendous pressure on the local companies, which have to deal with extremely high demand and a limited number of planes and crews.
Tips for travelers
In light of the current situation, aviation experts recommend to those who are still planning a flight during the holidays:
Book as early as possible - the prices are only expected to increase as the flight date approaches.
Consider alternative dates - sometimes a change of one or two days can lead to significant savings.
Keep up to date with the cancellation policies - it is important to understand the cancellation and change conditions of the card in case of unexpected changes.