In October 2023, we saw most international airlines discontinue flights to Israel over safety concerns, in light of the conflict. Then we saw many airlines again suspend service in late April, in light of increased activity in the region. While EL AL has operated continuously to and from Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport, most foreign airlines haven’t.
Airlines are now revealing plans to resume flights to Tel Aviv. In the latest update, Delta has confirmed plans to resume flights to Tel Aviv in the coming days.
In this post:
Delta will resume New York to Tel Aviv route soon
Delta will resume daily flights between New York (JFK) and Tel Aviv (TLV) as of June 7, 2024. The route will be operated with the following schedule:
DL234 New York to Tel Aviv departing 3:35M arriving 9:35AM (+1 day)
DL235 Tel Aviv to New York departing 11:50AM arriving 5:05PM (+1 day)
The 5,677-mile flight is blocked at 11hr eastbound and 12hr15min westbound. Delta will use an Airbus A330-900neos for the route, featuring 281 seats, comprised of 29 business class seats, 28 premium economy seats, 56 extra legroom economy seats, and 168 economy seats.
Delta claims that the decision to resume Israel lights follows an extensive security risk assessment, and that the company continues to closely monitor the situation in Israel in conjunction with government and private-sector partners.
Delta & EL AL have an intriguing partnership
With Delta resuming flights to Israel, I can’t help but point out an interesting development we saw last year. In June 2023, Delta and EL AL announced a new strategic partnership. Of course the timing of that wasn’t great, since it was supposed to launch in late 2023, around the same time that Delta pulled out of Israel.
As we see more airlines returning to Israel, I’m very curious to see what this partnership looks like in practice, and how Delta evolves its Israel route network in light of this.
Historically, Delta has been heavily focused on joint venture partners and airlines that it invests in, so I wonder if we could see more ties between the two airlines. The partnership between Delta and EL AL has come in handy in recent months, given that EL AL has been the only airline flying between the two countries.
It’s possible that we don’t actually see a whole lot more, and that Delta has simply decided that this is the best way to compete with United in Israel, as United has historically been by far the biggest US carrier in Israel.
Bottom line
Delta will resume daily flights between New York and Tel Aviv in the coming days. Delta is the second US airlines to return to Israel, after United. While Delta announced plans to resume this service several months back, it’s interesting how the timeline has stuck, in spite of how the situation has unfolded in Israel.
What do you make of Delta resuming flights to Israel?
looking forward to more options.
Prefer not to support companies that profit off of genocide.
Heading into what should be a busy summer, I'm curious where Delta is getting these planes to operate the TLV route. Will they just have a few fewer spare planes or are they pulling the planes from different routes.
It's one thing to resume flying to TLV in the winter when there may not be great uses of wide bodies elsewhere in the system. But in the summer time, I'd imagine there is a...
Heading into what should be a busy summer, I'm curious where Delta is getting these planes to operate the TLV route. Will they just have a few fewer spare planes or are they pulling the planes from different routes.
It's one thing to resume flying to TLV in the winter when there may not be great uses of wide bodies elsewhere in the system. But in the summer time, I'd imagine there is a greater tradeoff.
That said, LY is making money hand over fist, so I imagine this route will be more profitable that many summertime Europe routes.
DL and UA have been wanting to return to TLV for quite some time so have allocated planes for that use.
Given the revised schedule, they use fewer aircraft than they did when the flight was a double redeye roundtrip.
The real question is how quickly additional flights can be supported and if DL progresses toward connecting passengers through TLV which is part of the DL-LY partnership plan. Ultimately, there is probably a...
DL and UA have been wanting to return to TLV for quite some time so have allocated planes for that use.
Given the revised schedule, they use fewer aircraft than they did when the flight was a double redeye roundtrip.
The real question is how quickly additional flights can be supported and if DL progresses toward connecting passengers through TLV which is part of the DL-LY partnership plan. Ultimately, there is probably a decent chance DL will do a joint venture with LY.
That's kind of nuts that the route is that profitable that airlines were willing to allocate planes during the summer to a route that might not even happen.
Tim, on the DL/LY partnership front, what's your read on their goals for the partnership? As i see it there are a few possibilities:
1. Funneling connecting traffic through TLV: Doesn't really make sense for many reasons though
2. DL funneling traffic into LY flights: At the...
That's kind of nuts that the route is that profitable that airlines were willing to allocate planes during the summer to a route that might not even happen.
Tim, on the DL/LY partnership front, what's your read on their goals for the partnership? As i see it there are a few possibilities:
1. Funneling connecting traffic through TLV: Doesn't really make sense for many reasons though
2. DL funneling traffic into LY flights: At the moment I think basically all LY flights are full but once the war is over this could help LY make flights not from NY work. Especially out of south florida. I would think DL funneling traffic to LY in BOS and LAX could also be helpful.
3. DL helping LY expand capacity: I would imagine LY's fleet is stretched about as thin as possible at the moment and that they can't really expand too much more. With that, it's possible DL can help LY expand capacity from the US without LY needing to actually get more planes. Of course then, the question is what's in it for Delta? Do they really need LY to fill planes to Israel? In NY they certainly don't but outside of NY, I'm guessing Delta could use the help filling planes. That said, how would a foreign airline help DL fill planes. Does El Al really have that much sway with Israeli travelers. Do they have that many frequent flyers traveling to the USA?
None of these points are mutually exclusive but I'm curious if you have a sense
Delta applied for beyond TLV codesharing on LY before the war began.
DL and LY will jointly add capacity if/when they have a JV.
They are legally competitors now
@TimDunn so you're saying the strategy was always to get a JV? And beyond some basic reciprocity the current code sharing agreement won't lead to a whole lot of anything?
"and if DL progresses toward connecting passengers through TLV which is part of the DL-LY partnership plan"
Where's that been publicized?
And why would anyone from North America want to transfer in Tel Aviv? The airport isn't particularly well set up for it, amenities are limited at best, and the security can be quite off-putting, and most importantly, where would they even offer service that isn't already accessible via Delta's current partners?
Ben: Delta changed the flight schedule. DL234 departs JFK at 3:45 PM and lands at 9:35 AM in TLV.
DL235 departs TLV 11:50 AM and arrives at JFK at 5:20 PM
Would be interesting to know just what the traffic composition is:
My (completely unsubstantiated) guess is that it's mostly VFR + cargo, as it's tough to picture non-relative tourist traffic being anywhere near where it was pre-2023, at this time.
But then that's just a guess. Wish there was some available data to show.
Flights on ELAL have been booked solid for months on end- Almost impossible to book a flight - Tourism is low, but it is there - There are multiple missions (I've run two) - They will have no issue filling the planes- I had to fly through Abu Dhabi myself to get there since El Al was sold out..
Next time reach out to me and you would have had a seat on LY
For clarity, I've no doubt that they can fill the plane, seeing as how far down capacity is.... my question was in regard to what's composing the traffic.
Flights to Israel are sold out
Great news!
Where are you going ? Where are you coming from ? Where did you stay ? Who were you with ? Why are you breathing so heavily ?
This is great news! Israel is one of the most in-demand transatlantic destinations from the US after London and Paris, and airfares have been artificially elevated since the Hamas attacks. Delta is going to make boatloads by being first back.
No thanks. Delta on the boycott list.
Will not fly airlines that are complicit in supporting entities that are performing genocide and war crimes.
I assume you similarly won’t fly any airline which flies to China, then? Or is there something special about Israel that attracts your particular enmity?
Educate yourself a little bit before commenting please. Sharing your misinformation doesn't benefit anyone. Thanks!
I agree and thats why I havent and wont set foot on TK or Qatar
I guess you avoid all Chinese airlines while the govt is putting Mulims into "reducation camps"?
Thank god you don't fly on any American, Japanese, or Chinese airlines--those countries have both committed war crimes at some point in history. Your moral stance is incredibly impressive and well thought-out!
You're lucky there isn't Gaza Airways or you would have to boycott them too.
Hmm, avoid airlines complicit to genocide and War crimes.
Since most of them are either related to Axis or Aillies.
That leaves just a handful left, most with no airlines. Places such as Andorra, Lichtenstein, Bhutan, and Vaitcan. But Vatican, as we all know, have been doing it for centuries.
So that leaves you flying Drukair.
But that's not all, unless you're a hypocrite, you should ban manufacturers too.
So @BZ, you'd better start walking.
How is this complicit with people performing alleged 'genocide'? Maybe they're flying Palestinians to and from West Bank? (Who mostly use Ben Gurion/TLV Airport)
Simply, a very hateful comment.
Suggest you look up the definition of genocide before making such narrow minded comments.
"Suggest you look up the definition of genocide before making such narrow minded comments."
Or, just listen to Smotrich or Ben Givr's own comments, on Israeli media, any given day. Then you can divest yourself of this ridiculously transparent pretense that it's anything other than genocide.
@ImmortalSynn: So words constitute genocide now?
"So words constitute genocide now?"
When they're followed by commensurate actions? Well, yes. You can't figure that much out on your own?
Speaking of genocide and war crimes don't fly to gaza. Remember oct 7.
LMAO ur pathetic.
Shameful decision by Delta.
DL234 actually leaves at 3:35 pm arriving 9:35 am the next day.
"Delta is the second US airlines to return to Israel". not 100% true. United did restart but hasnt flown in over a month. I believe their latest restart is 6/8 but they havent said if in fact they will hold to that. UA has constantly been saying they will restart and sold tickets and then backed down, so its anyones guess if now that DL is restarting if UA will do so as well or...
"Delta is the second US airlines to return to Israel". not 100% true. United did restart but hasnt flown in over a month. I believe their latest restart is 6/8 but they havent said if in fact they will hold to that. UA has constantly been saying they will restart and sold tickets and then backed down, so its anyones guess if now that DL is restarting if UA will do so as well or simply kick the can down the road once again which they have been doing for the past Month+
won't it be funny if it is DL that is actually the first back into the market.
How so? Would it give you a woody?
It's funny because Ben's previous article was clowning on Delta for their choice on when to return to TLV and praising United. Except United ended up withdrawing super quickly. Extremely ironic because Ben didn't even cover that part about United.
It would also be funny if, based on flights earlier this year, UA carried more pax to TLV up through today.
It would be even funnier if UA is the first to go double-daily to TLV, in spite of the code share with El Al.
United is scheduled on the 6th departing ewr at 15:30
@Ben VS also announced a resumption and CS agreement details here;
https://corporate.virginatlantic.com/global/en/media/press-releases/new-codeshare-partnerships.html