Israeli airline El Al says it will add a Boston-Tel Aviv flight in May, bringing its summer schedule to 52 weekly flights between the United States in Israel.
The number of flights to Israel, reduced after the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks, has been increasing as U.S. carriers have announced plans to restore service.
United says it will restore daily Newark-Tel Aviv on March 15, with a second daily flight planned to begin March 29. Delta will restore daily JFK-Tel Aviv service on April 1. Also, Israeli low-fare carrier Arkia began thrice-weekly JFK-Tel Aviv service on February 8, using a wet-leased A330 seating 388 passengers.
El Al currently has four weekly Tel Aviv-Boston flights on Boeing 787s and is planning its fifth, which will operate on Sundays. El Al currently serves six U.S. markets – Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark and New York. The first Boston-Tel Aviv Sunday flight will depart on May 4.
“There is competition coming back into the market, but demand is strong,” said El Al spokesman Elie Rosenfeld. “Our flights are full and have been at 95% capacity since Oct. 7. “
Rosenfeld noted that many passengers connect to El Al in Boston. El Al has a code share with Delta, which has the largest market share at Boston Logan.
While some of El Al’s passengers are on business, some engaged with Israeli technology companies, most are in a category that Rosenfeld termed “solidarity travel.” They do not necessarily fall into the industry’s dichotomy of business and leisure traffic.
Rather, they are “family, friends, in solidarity,” he said. “They are there for celebrations, some for unfortunate events. Many people go for support, on missions with friends, with their synagogues or Jewish Community Centers. But this summer you’re getting back to a more normal rhythm.”
Still, there can be swings in mood, such as happened on Wednesday, after Israel confirmed that the bodies of two young children and their mothers, hostages after Oct. 7, were being returned after they were killed in Gaza .
Delta made its resumption announcement on Jan. 24. It will fly Airbus A330-900neo and provide nearly 2,000 weekly seats. Earlier, Delta announced that starting on Jan. 1, 2024, it would code share with El Al in the six markets.
“Delta’s decision to resume service follows a comprehensive security review, conducted in close coordination with government and private-sector partners,” the carrier said. “The airline continues to prioritize the safety of its customers and crews and has implemented additional precautions for operations to and from Tel Aviv.”
United made its resumption announcement on Feb. 4, saying, “This resumption follows a detailed assessment of operational considerations for the region and close work with the unions who represent our flight attendants and pilots. The flights will be operated on Boeing 787-10s.
“United has a longstanding commitment to serving Tel Aviv, and this return will make United the first U.S. airline to resume service this year,” the carrier said. “United also offers connections to Tel Aviv through partners including Lufthansa Group airlines. United will continue to evaluate opportunities to restore additional flights based on demand.”
So far, American has not yet restored service. The carrier said Wednesday that it “continuously evaluates its network and we have nothing new to share at this time regarding Tel Aviv service. Customers who are planning travel to Israel can purchase tickets on aa.com on flights operated by our partner airlines that serve Tel Aviv.”
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