El Al announced today that they will fly nonstop 787 service between Las Vegas and Tel Aviv starting 6/14/19. Curiously though, the service will only operate once per week. El Al’s other destinations feature service between 3 and 7 days a week. It can be hard to run a sustainable operation on a once weekly basis.
On the other hand, it is enough for El Al to qualify for a €250K grant to airlines launching a new destination from Tel Avlv.
The flight will depart Tel Aviv on Fridays at 7am and arrive at 11:15a. The return flight will depart Las Vegas on Saturdays at 11:45pm and arrive at 10:15pm on Sunday. The schedule allows El Al to utilize the Dreamliner when the company has slack available. However the sparse service means that travelers from Israel to Las Vegas will need to spend 2 Saturdays in Las Vegas for a 1 week trip.
Israel doesn’t have major casinos, so the flight can definitely have some appeal.
If the flights are successful, I’d imagine that they will move to at least 3 weekly flights.
But it’s hard to see this service lasting the test of time as its currently configured, so enjoy it while it lasts!
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).
- Las Vegas: 1 weekly flight on El Al (787-9).
- Miami: 3 weekly flights on El Al (787-9).
- Montreal: 3 weekly flights on Air Canada (A330-300)
- Newark: 14 weekly flights on United (787-10, 777-300), 11 weekly flights on El Al (787-9)
- San Francisco: 7 weekly flights on United (777-300), 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)
Will you fly on El Al between Tel Aviv and Las Vegas?
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49 Comments On "El Al Adds Service To Their 8th North American Destination! Roundup Of The 93 Weekly Nonstop Flights Between North America And Tel Aviv"
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Freaking heck. Why in the world does this make sense over Chicago??!
“The flight will depart Tel Aviv on Fridays at 7am and arrive at 11:15a. The return flight will depart Las Vegas on Saturdays at 11:45pm and arrive at 10:15pm on Sunday. The schedule allows El Al to utilize the Dreamliner when the company has slack available. ”
This almost guarantees that there will be no Shomer-Shabbos passengers booking this. So no complaints or problems when delays make it land just before Shabbos. They claim that they are targeting Christian tourism, hoping for tourists from Nevada, Arizona, Utah and Oregon. I would also guess that it’s cheaper to park a 787 over Shabbos in Las Vegas over keeping it in Chicago (which is also an airport more prone to weather delays).
As for the Casinos – I don’t see this as a major attraction. IINM there are closer and cheaper options for Israelis that want to go to a casino (Bulgaria).
Leaving aside all issues related to the post – who chooses Bulgaria over Las Vegas.
14-hour flight vs. 4?
Yes, counting the time difference
Why are there direct flights to Vegas but not Chicago???
I don’t think people realize but there is a larger Israeli community living on the west coast than the east coast. Additionally almost every Israeli touring the US has a stop in Las Vegas so why not just start there?
Neither LV nor Chicago are coastal cities
LV is a four hour drive to LA. Being from LA I would rather drive to take the non stop to TLV from LV than take a short haul flight from LA to LV first.
Chicago and the rest of the Midwest might have sizable orthodox communities but pare very insignificant to the Israeli expats, businessmen, and tourists of the west coast
When is elal phasing the 747 out of JFK? I hear a different answer from every source.
All of ElAl’s passenger 747’s will be taken out of service by early to mid 2020.
Dan previously had an article saying they would be out of service in October, then I saw somewhere else by March after the winter season. Seems strange that the flagship route has the worst business class.
This means that this flight wouldn’t serve any connection destinations or origins for religious Jews, as it will arrive and depart to close to shabbos for that.
There’s a very nice Jewish community in Las Vegas.
They may be nice, but certainly not sizable.
They could’ve struck a deal with the casinos. For example, Las Vegas used to subsidize AirTran flights.
I checked the calendar. Nope, today is not April Fool’s Day. This is pretty ridiculous. Like other’s have said, why not Chicago? Why not Mexico City (sizable Jewish population there)? Why not Houston, Dallas?
See above discussion to jake. The east coasters truly have no idea of the extent of Israelis in LA, SF, and LV
Heck. I didn’t even know there were Jews outside of Brooklyn.
Point proven
Last Vegas is great for small- and medium-scale money laundering (you get a receipt for wins, but don’t have to prove how much you “invested,” so the ~97% win rate at Vegas is worth it to oligarchs and khaperim alike). This was a big part of the appeal of the Turkish casinos for a while.
El Al is just trolling now. Next will be Green Bay
Las Vegas has a huge Israeli population besides the fact of the appeal Las Vegas has for international tourists. Passengers can also drive 3 hrs to LA if they don’t wish to wait a week take a return flight
At least a 4 hour drive if all goes well. Usually longer.
Fly non stop to Chicago
Newark: 14 weekly flights on United (777-200, 777-300),
*787
I agree 1000% with the 1st two comments. I understand why they wont do Baltimore since United will now fly from DC. But this makes absolutely no sense compared to a Chicago route. Furthermore, a connecting flight between Vegas and LA/SF are very short/feasible vs Chicago (or even Dallas), who are stuck in central USA, and connecting flights are at least approx 3hrs in any direction (aside from flying via UK/Europe). This decision really makes no sense to me.
Yosef, I think United’s IAD to TLV will not be successfully and they will exit that airport at some point. United doesn’t have their hub in Baltimore (it is what it is), but BWI would make so much more sense than 30 miles Southwest of DC; deeper into Virginia. For United’s eastern seaboard connecting market, what’s wrong with keeping it as EWR?
Trade shows
You forgot ac to/from Montreal and Air Transat
Air transat wont fly in 2019. They cancelled last week
would rather have Philadelphia
Small market, virtually no competition, drivable distance to EWR, so LY is unlikely to bother.
American Airlines somehow “loss money” in PHL to TLV, even though that was their hub for connecting flights.
EWR will have a 787-10
What’s going to be next. Orlando to TLV? because people will fly in for the Parks and Amusements?
With ElAl’s track record of late, I would be very hesitant to fly on this TLV-LAS flight!
I once flew United TLV-LAS with a connection in EWR. The first leg was delayed but I only had hand luggage so I made it to the connecting flight, the agent asked me if I was coming from TLV and when I said yes she said at least one of you made it, turns out there were about 40 passengers connecting. They ended up delaying the flight for the passengers from TLV.
Obviously, the target audience isn’t frum people. It’s for Israeli tourists going to Vegas, and Christian groups. By running the flight on Friday’s and Saturday nights, they’re able to use only 1 plane that wouldn’t be in service anyway, and they can piggy back it with a route that they are already running 3x per week (MIA maybe).
They probably don’t have the aircraft to bring in a route into ORD 3x per week.
Very very simple why this flight is a great idea. Israelis love Las Vegas, NYC, California and Miami. Most of them will not just fly in to stay in Las Vegas but rather visit other cities as well and probably do a multi city like fly into Vegas and back from NYC etc. Vegas has tons of Israelis living there and visiting.
Air Transat? They fly from YUL right?
No more anymore. Got canceled last week
Two potential resasons:
1. significant demand due to conventions/industry shows in Las Vegas which run Sun-Fri (less likely)
2. Sheldon Adelson wants El Al to fly to LAS (more likely)
Not a bad idea. A new place for Meshulachim!
Sounds like Sheldon Adelson got himself a nice ride. Also look for the LA connections after Shabbat and before Shabbat.
Sorry DAN
Elal’s evening flight EWR-TLV will be operating Sun-Thur with a 777-200
Not a bad connection from Phoenix. Not to mention SLC, where even Jews are gentiles. And many inland California cities like Sacramento and Fresno, as an alternative to SFO and LAX. If the plane breaks down it’s a long wait for the next one – but at least it’s a newer plane.
Makes no sense to have the flight Las Vegas leave at 1145pm Motzei Shabbos when Shabbos ends at 845pm. It is not possible for any Shomer Shabbos Yid to make the flight.
Las Vegas has a population of 145,000 Jews, according to the Las Vegas Israelite newspaper. 75,000 of them attend synagogues at least once a year.