Update, 1/14: Star Alliance carrier LOT Polish will resume Warsaw service on 1/28 and TUS will resume Larnaca service on 1/25!
While multiple Skyteam and Star Alliance airlines have or will resume Israel service this month which makes for easy rebookings between alliance members, the OneWorld alliance is notably absent.
Update, 1/9: Air France writes that they will resume flying to Israel on January 24th and flights are now available for purchase. They write that they will operate an A350 on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, though their website shows them selling a flight on Tuesday, February 13th instead of February 14th.
As with other European flights, they are operating the flights out and back with a short layover in Israel, which means that flights from the US to Israel are well timed on the outbound, but require an overnight in Europe on the return.
Expect more European airlines to confirm their return to Israel plans in the coming weeks.
Below are the airlines that have confirmed January flights to Israel.
Originally posted on 1/8:
With the Lufthansa Group resuming service to Israel today and Aegean doing so later this week, below is the current roundup of all destinations offered by airlines to Tel Aviv as of this month.
One of the issues for foreign airlines was the ability to insure their planes in a war zone, though apparently, airlines are figuring that out with their insurers now.
European airlines have the luxury of scheduling flights that go out and back without overnighting in Tel Aviv, allowing crew to stay onboard. It will be trickier for US airlines to do the same until the crew feels comfortable enough to overnight in Israel.
Hopefully we’ll see more carriers resume service. In the meantime, if prices from the US to Israel are too high, you can book travel to Europe and then a separate flight from Europe to Israel on an airline that has resumed service to Israel.
January 2024 flights to/from Tel Aviv:
- Arkia: Athens, Belgrade, Bucharest, Budapest, Dubai, Eilat, Larnaca, Prague, Tbilisi
- El Al: Amsterdam, Athens, Bangkok, Barcelona, Berlin, Boston, Bucharest, Budapest, Chisinau, Dubai, Frankfurt, Geneva, JFK, Johannesburg, Krakow, Larnaca, Lisbon, London/LHR, London/LTN, Los Angeles, Madrid, Miami, Milan, Moscow, Munich, Newark, Paris, Prague, Rome, Sofia, Tbilisi, Vienna, Warsaw, Zurich
- Israir: Athens, Batumi, Bucharest, Budapest, Chisinau, Dubai, Eilat, Larnaca, Sofia, Tbilisi
- Aegean (Star Alliance): Athens (Resumed 1/11)
- Air France (Skyteam): Paris (Resumes 1/24)
- Austrian (Star Alliance): Vienna (Resumed 1/8)
- Azimuth: Sochi
- Blue Bird Airways: Athens
- Etihad: Abu Dhabi
- Ethiopian (Star Alliance): Addis Ababa
- FlyDubai: Dubai
- Hainan: Shenzhen
- HiSky: Chisinau, Bucharest
- LOT (Star Alliance): Warsaw (Resumes 1/28)
- Lufthansa (Star Alliance): Frankfurt, Munich (Resumed 1/8)
- Red Wings Airlines: Sochi
- Smartwings: Tbilisi
- Swiss (Star Alliance): Zurich (Resumed 1/8)
- Tarom (Skyteam): Bucharest
- Tus: Larnaca (Resumes 1/25)
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84 Comments On "[Air France, LOT, Tus Will Return To Israel Over Next 2 Weeks] Roundup Of Airlines And Airports With Service To Israel In January 2024; Poll: When Will US Airlines Resume Service?"
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Isnt LOT also flying? I saw Jan 27 availability
I haven’t seen confirmation that they will actually resume flying then.
If you search on Elal a flight from TLV to LHR on any Saturday they offer a stopover in WAW operated by LOT.
LOT (through Chase) just canceled on me for mid-February, and the agent said they had no info on when they would begin flying to TLV
What about Tap Portugal? They are Star Alliance and a European Airline
3/31 at the earliest.
is this 3/31 date specific to Tap, or is that a guestimate earliest possible date for all Star alliance airlines?
any chance DD flight 84 on 3/14 (booked back in April) flies?
TAP.
No way to know for other airlines. Book El Al if you want to be safe, can refund to a voucher if you don’t need it.
I was referring to this:
https://www.dansdeals.com/points-travel/milespoints/hot-hurry-book-united-saver-award-travel-routes-select-dates-march-2024/
https://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=44320.msg2705090#msg2705090
looking forward to DO
Yup, I’m sitting on that too. Don’t have much hope for it, but maybe they’ll allow a date change.
I am trying to book R/T to Israel for sometime in January but although it shows Swiss Air for $900-$1000 during the month with a stopover of about an hour on the WAY THERE,
the WAY BACK has only overnight stopovers of 12-15 hours…
Which, once factoring in hotel stays and transportation, food etc, is close to the cost of the nonstop options….
Since they are trying to only stay in Israel for an hour or so, the morning flights (which work out great for stopovers from the US) return that afternoon. They arrive too late for any flights back to the US until the next morning.
if I want to fly in October should I wait to see if other airlines will fly or i should book now an elal ticket to be safe?
Bear in mind that Arkia openly fly in Shabbat
this site claims BA is returning on 1/10
https://airlive.net/news/2023/12/19/air-france-lufthansa-british-airways-and-swiss-to-resume-flights-to-tel-aviv/
Lots of sites with bad info out there.
On British Airways’ site it says suspended (at least) through 1/31
https://www.britishairways.com/travel/flightops/public/en_us?p_faqid=2442
easyJet returning on 2/1 from LGW and LTN, CDG, AMS (and more)
Transavia returning on 2/1 from ORY
Not confirmed that I’m aware of.
Dan,
Any further info on air france? My flight is on 1-24 and still showing on schedule.
It will likely be canceled. Call them for rebooking options.
Tried that and they are telling me its on schedule.
What would be the latest they can cancel on me?
Unfortunately, there’s no deadline for that.
Looks like Air France is starting to fly again to TLV.
I see for the 1st time in months tickets are available for purchase from 1-24 and on.
Wow!
If I fly to Europe and then take a flight on elal on a separate ticket, would I have to leave the airport to re checkin? Also, how much time should I give myself between the flight landing and the takeoff time of the elal flight?
I have similar question and what would be my best bet (price and reliability)?
I would be flying United to Europe (I have a voucher that is expiring)
buy an interlined ticket with vs/ly
they are decently priced
Please write that in layman’s terms so we can all understand
This isn’t the DDF 😉
i am a layman
interline means that you are buying two tickets from two airlines but are interlined which is better than buying two seperate tickets bec if you are delayed airline s responsible and many times you donot need to checkin again
you can buy such ticket on priceline or your travel agent
i bought one a month ago
More information please
I just did that. I claimed my luggage in Milan and went to the check-in counter to start over again with El Al. Milan sells a 9 euro “fast pass” to get you moved up in the lines.
I have a similar question. Flying to LHR with an 8 hour layover until El Al flight. NO checked baggage. I have lounge access (both in terminal 3 and 4) – can I stay airside and get from terminal 3 to terminal 4 (and vice versa) without officially entering UK and get my EL AL boarding pass airside in terminal 4? Many thanks in advance to anyone who can help with an answer!
Unfortunately even if the US carriers start getting confident to open as the Gaza war slows down, they’ll be more than scared off when the battle in the north starts later this year.
I hope your a false prophet.
I have ticket on united march 5 direct tlv to newark, what do you suggest
It looks like only the European airlines with flight duration less than 4 hours are flying. No UK, France, Spain, Netherlands, or Belgium.
I tried the “book to Europe and then El Al” method recently and it was a massive fail. I booked an El Al roundtrip ticket from Milan to Israel for 450 euros, from 12/25 to 1/4. I used miles to get to Milan from JFK on American, leaving a 3-hour window to claim my luggage and recheck with El Al on the inbound flight, and I had no problems. But on the outbound last Thursday I had a 6:50 am El Al to Milan with a four-hour window to catch a Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt and then a United flight to Newark (both using miles on one United ticket). After a mechanical delay of an hour on El Al in Israel, they had to switch planes, meaning I would not have time to make the connection in Milan. I was then forced to buy a nonstop ticket on El Al to Newark for $730. They promised me a credit for part of the fare for the unused portion of my Milan ticket, but they would not just apply the difference to the ticket I had to buy to Newark. We’ll see if that credit ever happens. So beware. El Al generally only has one flight a day to many European destinations and the connection is at your peril.
When I bought the El Al one way at Ben Gurion the agent said I could give them my Delta Skymiles number to earn Delta miles for the El Al flight. But I still don’t see any flights or credits on the Delta site.
On a separate note, my son in yeshiva wants to come back to the States right after Purim. On the American website, I was able to get a one-way on Royal Air Maroc on March 27 for 40,000 miles plus $78 with a three-hour layover in Casablanca. There were no other flights available on any other Oneworld Alliance airline on the AA website.
Delta says it can take up to two weeks to get mileage credit for an EL Al flight. B”H I got my credit. If you don’t see points after two weeks, contact Delta.
I don’t think the main reason is because of insurance it is political. They can figure out the insurance just like the European airlines can. They don’t want pilots and customers protesting them flying to TLV nor do they want to risk the wrath of the state dept.
Air Europa is selling tickets to Israel.
Would they be cancelled?
I have a round trip scheduled from NY in early February with Brussels Airlines on the outbound and Lot for the inbound. Neither airline mentioned in the post
Did you see this post’s title?
Either way, neither of those airlines are confirmed to be resuming then, they’re just selling tickets for now.
https://www.aireuropa.com/us/en/aea/press-releases/notifications.html
Oops sorry. Did not read closely
Can I risk booking with Delta for March 31? I was chatting with them, and they said depending on the situation they may use El Al people and equipment. does that mean my flight won’t get canceled?
Any news from easyJet?
Is brussels airlines flying to TLV?
Not currently.
yes
spoke to british airways they told me they resuming on february can i rely on this?
No flight attendants don’t usually know anything about scheduling routes and these types of things
What is the reason no US carrier is flying? Are insurance rules in the US stricter than in EU?
who do these airlines plan on flying?
how do you sell a connecting flight with 3x weekly flights and no partner airlines??!!!!
Easyjet have now cancelled until March
Hi Dan I see a flight on air france for jan 23 for 30000 + 92$ and also from virgin atlantic for 20000 + 155$ and return for 38000 + 160 or(paying 960 round trip is better) sorry for the inexperince
thanks
also air france vs virgin which is better priced value wise?
also which is better value i used sapphire if it matters
Dan,
United just moved the next bookable flight from Newark to Feb 15. I’m booked on Feb 1. Like last time, the reservation still shows.
It takes them time to officially cancel a flight after stopping sales on it.
A few months ago I booked a rt United mileage flight to TLV for November. They cancelled my flight and they gave me the flexibility to I reook at a hgher cost for Dec 25-Jan 2. Later , they cancelled that flight as well, but they did not give me the flexibility to rebook or not ebven when i called them on the phone. Ultimately, I did not rebook, and I have not yet been credited my miles for that flight. I know that I can call United and get credited back my miles, but is there anything better for me to do?
Yesterday BA was booking travel dates to TLV beginning Feb 1. BA now only booking dates beginning March 31. Keeps getting pushed out
British Airways have today cancelled flights through to 31st March – and unfortunately the agreement they had to transfer passengers from cancelled flights to El Al has come to an end
Austrian flights depart TLV at 3:50 AM, which gives good connection options to the North America.
Hi Dan I booked BA Flight (Priceline) from tlv to ewr for March 27 Seems like they are pushing it off what would be the best option In this case?
anyone know when lot will begin flying? and are they reliable?
I have a mileage ticket on United for end of January, officially only starting to fly mid February. Since we can’t go in January as they are not flying we wanted to change to a different date. The only option they gave was to rebook a different date, at higher mileage which I can do anyone as no cancellation fee but not interested in paying the mega extra mileage or cancel. They said only can book 5 days out from original date, meaning can only book a flight between Jan 30 & Feb 5, when they are not flying. Is that true? If so is there any recourse with tsa or with the israel law cuz cancelled flight or won’t be applicable cuz of war? Thanks.
Given the recent and past stances taken by Türkiye vis-a-vis Israel, including the recent firing of an Israeli soccer player from a Türkiye soccer team and his investigation and possible prosecution for wearing a wristband showing support for the Israeli hostages, Jews should not be flying Turkish Airlines and should avoid giving that country any of their business or money.
will Ryanair also start to fly?
Waiting to hear about Ryanair and Easyjet flying out of Tel Aviv.
I booked Lufthansa ticket for 2/20 and the TLV-MUC segment got promptly cancelled the following day. No flights are on schedule or bookable for TLV-MUC or TLV-FRA now. I would not be so quick as to predict they are returning.
Hi,any info about ita airlines?
Lufthansa has delayed the scheduled restart of their 8:00 AM flight to frankfurt from tel aviv (LH695) was previously scheduled for Feb. 20th [they allowed bookings on that flight from Feb. 20th and Frankfurt airport website had them scheduled to arrive on Feb. 20th] But Now only scheduled for March 5th (as reflected in both previously mentioned records)
Are the Claims that Wizz Air will resume flights in march verified?
Ryanair canceled till march 31,
what about Wizz?
Condor airlines (German based) is partnering with El Al to offer flights from TLV to NYC with short (1-4 hrs) stopovers in Frankfurt for very cheap [when compared with El Al direct pricing]. for bookings starting Feb.16. They are available to be booked through condor.com at this time El Al is not offering these tickets for sale.
when would be the best time to book from nyc to tlv in beggining of may will stopover flights go down as more airlines resume flying?
when would be the best time to book from nyc to tlv in for a flight thats in the beggining of may? will stopover flights go down as more airlines resume flying?
Would you book through student universe website? They have very cheap tickets in general
Anyone have an update on Brussels Airlines when they will resume flights to Israel? See selling tickets…no confirmation they are actually flying?
is it a bad idea to buy a ticket on british airways to fly from and back to EY in april?
it seems like Lufthansa is about to cancel all their morning flights out of TLV until March 30th. based on the fact that they are now not letting any bookings on those flights only starting Mar. 31st
any airlines truly flying now from Tel Aviv to NY/NJ now or is it still only ElAl
This post does not get updated. Just FYI if your coming from here https://www.dansdeals.com/more/news/airline-news/israel-flight-change-policies-major-airlines/