Israel-US fares stay high despite return of foreign carriers

For the first time since the start of the war, American Airlines will resume flights to and from Israel. The US carrier announced that it will renew flights to Tel Aviv in March 2026, thus joining rival airlines United and Delta, which have already resumed flights. The US media has even reported that the airline has begun hiring Hebrew speaking cabin crew in preparation for the resumption of flights. American Airlines will begin with Tel Aviv – New York flights, and the carrier will later introduce Tel Aviv – Philadelphia flights.

American Airlines is considered the most cautious of the three US airlines operating on the Israel route, and was the last to announce the resumption of flights to Tel Aviv. This is why its return is seen as such a major move in the Israeli market. Its decision to resume services symbolizes the industry’s return to normal and is a vote of confidence in the safety and stability of air operations at Ben Gurion Airport.

“Globes” has investigated whether the move will finally lead to a fall in airfares, and what it means for Israeli airlines – will they give up their routes to the US when competition returns?

The situation before the war

During the war, the demand for flights between Israel and the US was significantly higher than the supply. The US is an important tourist and business destination for Israelis and home to by far the largest Jewish community in the Diaspora. However, American airlines operated only partially, and during the downturn, the routes were operated almost exclusively by Israeli companies, with El Al being the most prominent.

Before the war, United Airlines operated 28 weekly flights between Israel and the US – of which 14 were to New York, seven to San Francisco, four to Chicago and three to Washington DC. Delta Airlines operated a daily flight to New York, a daily flight to Atlanta and three weekly flights to Boston. American Airlines operated ten weekly flights – seven to New York and three to Miami. El Al operated 42 weekly flights to six different destinations in the US. In total, 97 weekly flights were flown by four carriers to nine destinations in the US.

More flights more competition

The high demand for flights led Arkia – an Israeli company that does not even own suitable long-haul aircraft – to lease aircraft and operate the route, and Israir to consider launching the route. Arkia is expected to operate three weekly flights to the US in 2026, after diverting some of its long-haul flights from destinations in East Asia, primarily Thailand. At the peak of activity on the Tel Aviv – New York route, Arkia operated five weekly flights.

In summer 2026, El Al will continue to be the most dominant airline on routes from Israel to the US. Although it has not yet officially published its summer flight schedule, estimates are that it will operate at least 52 weekly flights – of which about 30 will be to New York and the rest to eight other destinations.

United Airlines will add 25 weekly flights to its flight schedule, including flights to New York, Washington and Chicago. Delta Airlines will operate seven weekly flights, while American Airlines is expected to operate seven weekly flights to New York.

In total, next summer will see about 94 weekly flights between Israel and the US, just three weekly flights short of the number of weekly Israel-Us flights before the war.

The new fares

Although next Passover ,the number of Israel-US flights will be almost the same as before the war, the fares will still be far above ticket prices in 2023, according to data from Ophir Tours.

For example, an American Airlines round-trip fare in the spring of 2026 is currently $1,799 compared with $803 three years ago. United’s fares have increased from $1,030 to $2,208, and Delta’s from $845 to $1,607. Likewise, El Al’s round-trip fares have risen from $1,010 to $1,721.

Ophir Tours deputy chairman Yoni Waksman says, “The huge gaps in airfares between Passover 2023 and Passover 2026 stem from a combination of a sharp increase in demand versus limited supply. 2023 was characterized by the desire of airlines to return passengers to planes after the Covid pandemic, and therefore prices were relatively low. Also, since 2023, fuel prices, and security and operating costs have increased, and at the same time, demand for flights during the Passover and summer vacation period has increased significantly. Even with the return of foreign companies to Israel, competition is failing to lower fares – on the contrary, flights are filling up quickly. My recommendation is to hurry up and book your flight as early as possible, to avoid exorbitant prices.”

Most direct flights from Israel to the US are currently from Tel Aviv to New York, with other destinations only accessible on El Al and United. Passengers who choose to fly with Delta, for example, find that the airline has not yet resumed its other flight routes to Israel. As a result, this route absorbs the demand of passengers to other US destinations, who are currently forced to make a stopover in New York, and according to demand, the fare increases.

Other external factors also affect ticket prices including a global shortage of aircraft and spare parts, which increases the operating costs for airlines. In fact, airfares are rising worldwide, with carriers serving transatlantic routes being particularly affected. On the other hand, Israeli passengers have also become accustomed to paying high fare for flights, and airlines may take advantage of the situation.

The good news

In addition to the American Airlines announcement, major airlines have returned to Israel over the past week, including British Airways, Iberia Express and Eurowings, completing the Lufthansa Group’s return to full operations in Israel. Nearly 60 foreign airlines already operate in Israel, expanding the options to fly to all regions of the world.

The European airlines that have resumed Israel operations could help travelers to the US due to convenient connection flights through their main hubs. Those planning to fly on Passover, can reduce airfares in this way. For example, the “Secret Flights” website lists round-trip Israel-US connection flights with Iberia and British Airways at prices starting at $987. The website also shows that round-trip flights with LOT can be found starting at $906 (connection in Warsaw), with KLM starting at $1,045 (connection in Amsterdam), and with Iberia starting at $1,145 (connection in Madrid).

Published by Globes, Israel business news – en.globes.co.il – on October 28, 2025.

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