By nature, I am a glass-half-full kind of person rather than a glass-half-empty type. Living and working in Israel’s longest war with airlines and tourists avoiding us like the plague, it often feels like we are living in a dystopian world. We seem to take one step forward, quickly followed by two steps backward.
We have seen holiday after holiday pass us by, scathed by the near dearth of foreign airlines. The summer of 2024 had much of the country traumatized by the war and the lack of progress with the hostages. Tens of thousands of citizens had been called up, and the thought of going abroad to get a break was anathema to a large percentage of citizens.
It did not help that aside from the three Israeli airlines – Arkia, Israir, and El Al – there were only a smattering of airlines touching down at Ben-Gurion Airport. An Emirates here, an Etihad there, with an Ethiopian plane flying under the radar and being caught in the crossfire.
The fall of 2024 saw a new US president, who assigned a personal envoy and a friendly ambassador to try to release all the hostages and bring some type of respite to the ongoing war. Secular Israelis would watch TV all day on Saturdays as several hostages were released.
At this stage, many airlines resumed flying to Israel. They did it surreptitiously, quietly, with little noise. The Lufthansa Group, comprised of Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa, and Swiss, resumed operations, breaking the logjam that had the three Israeli airlines monopolizing the flights.
Air France and British Airways, along with the Polish LOT and Italian ITA, joined the party, and clients and travel professionals let down their guard and started selling these airlines. This became the new norm. With a neutralized Lebanon and Syria, a war with Gaza became palatable. Very few tourists were flying to Israel, though; the country was still at war.
For North America, where El Al’s 85% market share led to record profits quarter after quarter, Delta and United also came back. For them, unlike the European carriers, it is a far more courageous move as their crews have to sleep one or two nights in Israel. However, as the famous saying goes, If you build it, they will come – and they did. Hezbollah had been defanged, Syria was no longer a viable threat, and Gaza… well, the war had been going on for so long, it had become a way of life.
Some airlines, be it Virgin Atlantic or Cathay Pacific, elected not to return – not in the spring nor summer, and we most likely won’t see them until 2026.
No matter, we had nearly a dozen airlines resuming operations despite the ongoing war.
They lowered their fares to pick up passengers, and El Al, rather than get into a price war, kept her fares sky-high. El Al instinctively knew that there was a large enough market who would still pay to fly El Al. They would pay for security and nonstop flights, but, most of all, everyone who purchased a ticket from El Al knew that their planes would continue to fly.
THEN, A new threat emerged, far, far away from a country that neither borders Israel nor has been threatened by Jerusalem. A feral, savage terrorist group that has caused havoc in Yemen, the Houthis, decided to beat their chests. No army or mercenaries to attack Israel. No nuclear threat to wipe Israel off the face of the map. Their strategy was simplistic in its vision; they would fire missiles at Ben-Gurion Airport.
Not at army bases, nuclear reactors, or electrical grids that power the nation, but at the airport in Lod that was the main outlet for millions of Israelis.
Nonetheless, the foreign airlines persevered; they had confidence that Israel could knock down anything the Houthis fired. Which they did – until May 4.
On that day, the Houthis fired a ballistic missile that hit the perimeter of the main terminal of Ben-Gurion Airport while leaving a crater and damaging a road and vehicle. The Israeli defense system failed to shoot down the missile despite several attempts to intercept it.
This was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Like rats on a sinking ship, the majority of foreign airlines ceased their flights. Air India’s plane halfway to Ben-Gurion turned around, as did British Airways. Delta and United’s planes took off to JFK and Newark that morning but never came back.
Most of the Israelis who had been lulled by so many foreign carriers flying to Israel had purchased tickets for this upcoming holiday weekend. Shavuot was set to see massive numbers of Israelis taking a respite from the daily news only to find that whether it was a low-cost carrier, a United plane to Newark, or a British Airways craft to London, their flights had been canceled.
United Airlines keeps dropping hints they will soon return, as has Delta. British Airways threw in the towel. They won’t be back before August 1, which means anyone pining to visit the UK this spring and summer and fly nonstop is going to fly on an Israeli airline at a historically high price. The Lufthansa Group announced that it won’t touch down in Tel Aviv before June 16. Day after day, missile after missile keeps the majority of foreign carriers avoiding flying to Israel
Their absence has little effect on the tourism industry. There were no minions of British tourists planning on visiting Israel this spring or summer. Few Germans had booked time at the Dead Sea. Be it a Christian group or a Jewish group, incoming tourism remains a pipe dream.
Israel's self-sufficient travel arrangements
WE DO not need foreign airlines to bring back the tourists. We need a viable ceasefire and the return of hostages. Only the brave want to fly into a war zone; the vast majority of potential tourists have written us off for this year.
Those flying in the next few months will continue to pay outlandish fees. Lack of competition results in high prices. Even reserving months in advance will have little consequence on saving money.
In the tourism industry, most travel professionals have learned their lesson. They won’t be offering their clients who seek flights in the summer, fall, or winter any airline that doesn’t come from Israel or the UAE.
When these foreign airlines stop flying, finding an alternative is both costly and too often unsuccessful. El Al planes are quite full, so while British Airways graciously allows stranded and affected passengers to fly El Al, they cannot guarantee El Al will have space.
Buyer beware is the new watchword. Do not get lulled into internet searches that offer you low rates on airlines that are not flying here. When those foreign carriers resume operations, and they will, use every ounce of strength to avoid purchasing tickets from them.
If 19 months of war have taught us anything, it is that it takes one errant missile, one successful assassination, and those same loyal airlines will abandon us faster than you can say Jack Robinson.
While one day this war will end and the hostages will be returned, please understand that we are not living in a game, and while being challenged and judged both brutally and morally by our actions and the actions of foreign airlines and governments, we need to be steadfast in our decision-making process. For now, the options to soar are limited, and while flying abroad can have a euphoric effect, keep in mind it will cost you to achieve this inner peace.
Mark Feldman is the CEO of Ziontours Jerusalem and a director at Diesenhaus. For questions and comments, email him at mark.feldman@ziontours.co.il