Flying to Israel for a simcha

amother

OP ↓

Sun, Nov 10 2024, 2:33 am

Is el al the only airline flying to Israel?
My husband is Israeli but we are living in ny. His sibling is getting married and he’d really like to be there for it. We checked el al and flights are over $5k.
How are people flying to Israel now? Is flying to Europe and then flying to Israel an option? What airlines are flying there now from both America and Europe?

LovesHashem

Sun, Nov 10 2024, 2:59 am

People book in advance or they find flights Elal flights to Europe and connecting flights to the USA.

Ruchi ↓

Sun, Nov 10 2024, 3:12 am

amother OP wrote:

Deleted

Last edited by Ruchi on Sun, Nov 10 2024, 3:17 am; edited 2 times in total

Bnei Berak 10 ↓

Sun, Nov 10 2024, 3:15 am

You may try flights with connection in Cyprus. Those direct routes we had in the past have now been redirected to Cyprus. From there you take a connecting flight to Israel.

↑ Ruchi

Sun, Nov 10 2024, 3:16 am

Ruchi wrote:

There are options from many European countries. Wizz Air , Israair, TUS, Cyprus Airways, Bluebird, Arkia and others., including Elal.

Always wise not to take a short stopover, so that if the original flight is delayed, you don't risk missing the 2nd flight.

Last edited by Ruchi on Sun, Nov 10 2024, 3:23 am; edited 1 time in total

dinglehopper

Sun, Nov 10 2024, 3:19 am

I'd you want to be sure to arrive, then ElAl. Yes, it is very expensive. I have heard that people are flying to Europe and then ElAl from Europe to Israel. But obviously that always comes with risks of getting stuck somewhere or missing your connection.

amother

Ruby

Sun, Nov 10 2024, 3:27 am

Ruchi wrote:

Always wise not to take a short stopover, so that if the original flight is delayed, you don't risk missing the 2nd flight.

Wizzair stopped as well.

DrMom

Sun, Nov 10 2024, 3:32 am

When is the wedding? Ticket prices depend heavily on the season and how far in advance you book.

↑ Bnei Berak 10 ↓

Sun, Nov 10 2024, 3:42 am

I think Arkia is trying to get permission to fly to the US. It's in process but not an easy procedure.
The days of cheap flights are gone.

essie14 ↓

Sun, Nov 10 2024, 3:52 am

Your last leg of your trip should be El Al. So you fly to a European city and book a separate El Al flight to TLV. And same with leaving.
Or you budget for non stop flights from the US on El Al.

↑ Bnei Berak 10 ↓

Sun, Nov 10 2024, 4:02 am

essie14 wrote:

Your last leg of your trip should be El Al. So you fly to a European city and book a separate El Al flight to TLV. And same with leaving.
Or you budget for non stop flights from the US on El Al.

Arkia or Israir from Europe also OK.

sub

Sun, Nov 10 2024, 4:46 am

Depends on date. I wanted to fly Chanuka time. This coincides with holiday season. Tickets are expensive- especially through Europe
So I booked for end of January. 1300 for straight flight. But I am not going for a simcha and was flexible.

mommy100 ↓

Sun, Nov 10 2024, 5:13 am

Please call a travel agent if you need to fly nowish then they can waitlist you for flights and el Al tickets are about 1,500 for direct flight from ny to tlv but you won’t find these prices anywhere online yourself

Elfrida

Sun, Nov 10 2024, 6:09 am

Ruchi wrote:

Always wise not to take a short stopover, so that if the original flight is delayed, you don't risk missing the 2nd flight.

It's a balance. I know someone who was recently stuck in the airport in Greece for 12 hours, because his second flight was delayed. The lack of kosher food in the airport, helped to contribute to an unpleasant experience. It would only have been marginally better with kosher food, though.

imaima

Sun, Nov 10 2024, 6:36 am

With orthodox weddings where you typically have about 3 months between engagement and the wedding, flying from abroad can be very expensive. There are few solutions other than adjusting expectations

amother

↑ OP ↓

Sun, Nov 10 2024, 7:29 am

mommy100 wrote:

Do you know of any travel agents you can recommend?

amother

↑ OP ↓

Sun, Nov 10 2024, 7:30 am

imaima wrote:

With orthodox weddings where you typically have about 3 months between engagement and the wedding, flying from abroad can be very expensive. There are few solutions other than adjusting expectations

As of now the expectation is he isn’t going. He just wanted to try checking in one last ditch effort

amother

↑ OP ↓

Sun, Nov 10 2024, 7:30 am

DrMom wrote:

When is the wedding? Ticket prices depend heavily on the season and how far in advance you book.

December

justforfun87

Sun, Nov 10 2024, 7:46 am

My sister is flying to Miami then flying Elal even though we are near NY. Her round trip flight was 2300

↑ essie14

Sun, Nov 10 2024, 7:47 am

amother OP wrote:

Do you know of any travel agents you can recommend?

www.chaikel.com