In October 2023, we saw most international airlines discontinue flights to Israel over safety concerns, in light of the conflict. While EL AL has operated continuously to and from Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport, most foreign airlines haven’t.
In March 2024, United Airlines became the first US airline to resume service to Israel. However, the airline suspended those flights just weeks later, due to how the situation in Israel escalated. The airline is now preparing to restore this service in the coming days…
In this post:
United will resume Newark to Tel Aviv route shortly
As of June 6, 2024, United plans to resume daily flights between Newark (EWR) and Tel Aviv (TLV). The flight will operate daily, with the following schedule:
UA84 Newark to Tel Aviv departing 3:30PM arriving 8:55AM (+1 day)
UA85 Tel Aviv to Newark departing 11:00AM arriving 3:50PM
The 5,685-mile flight is blocked at 10hr25min eastbound and 11hr50min westbound. United will use a Boeing 787-10 for the route, featuring 318 seats, comprised of 44 business class seats, 21 premium economy seats, and 253 economy seats.
Now, we’ll see how this evolves, but United has plans to resume a second daily flight in the market as of June 20, 2024, and that will operate with the following schedule, also with a Boeing 787-10:
UA90 Newark to Tel Aviv departing 10:55PM arriving 4:20PM (+1 day)
UA91 Tel Aviv to Newark departing 11:25PM arriving 4:05AM (+1 day)
As you can see, the emphasis right now is on offering service out of Newark, but later this year United hopes to resume service to Israel from Chicago (ORD), San Francisco (SFO), and Washington (IAD).
Prior to last October, United was by far the biggest US carrier in Israel, and it has historically been one of United’s most lucrative international markets. So I’m not surprised to see United continuing to lead the way when it comes to restoring capacity to Israel.
Delta is also resuming flights to Tel Aviv
United isn’t the only airline resuming flights to Israel. While United’s service launches on June 6, Delta plans to resume a New York (JFK) to Tel Aviv (TLV) route as of June 7. The airline will operate the route with the following schedule, with an Airbus A330-900neo:
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)
In the case of Delta, the airline hasn’t flown to Israel since last October, so it’s not like United, where the airline operated some flights this spring.
I’m curious to see how the competitive landscape evolves between the United States and Israel. What has changed in recent times is that Delta and EL AL have launched a partnership. As of now the implications are fairly limited for Delta, and it’s not like most people traveling to Tel Aviv are connecting beyond there, onto an EL AL flight. But still, Delta and EL AL combined can give United a run for its money.
It’s also worth keeping in mind how “fragile” these service resumptions are, and that routes could be pulled at a moment’s notice if the situation in Israel escalates. EL AL is able to operate continuously because the airline is set up to operate in these conditions, while that’s obviously not the case for Delta and United.
Bottom line
In the coming days, United will once again resume flights to Israel, after a suspension of several weeks. The airline will fly daily from Newark to Tel Aviv as of June 6, and then twice daily as of June 20. Then on June 7, we’ll see Delta return to Israel again.
What do you make of United resuming flights to Israel?
Meanwhile, not a word from AA on service resumption. Not surprising given their flaky history with TLV routes, or for that matter international routes in general.
I hope everyone boycotts United so my upgrades will clear.
United in genocide. Disgusting.
Oh stop with the stupid genocide comments. Look up the definition before you make such absurd statements.
"Genocide [ jen-uh-sahyd ]
noun
The deliberate and systematic extermination of a national, racial, political, or cultural group."
...............so, which part are you contending isn't happening, you lying sack? Tell us.
Literally all of it. It's a war.
You can argue that the civilian casualties are disproportionately high for the military gains if you want, but this is no more a genocide than the US bombing Japan in WWII.
Defeated armies surrender to spare their population. Where are the calls for Hamas to surrender to save Palestinian lives? How many genocides do you know where the side supposedly being genocided could end the conflict tomorrow by surrendering?
You armchair warriors are devoid of humanity and morally bankrupt. We see the genocide daily on our screens! Israeli ministers and media openly broadcast their ambitions. If this was being done to the Jewish people in Israel-Palestine would you be so sanguine? Or you might surprise me and say, " This is no more a genocide than the US bombing Japan in WWII". Re-set your compass, Watson.
Good job resorting to ad hominem rather than addressing anything I said.
Civilian deaths != genocide
Except for when they're organized, systematic, and targeted at a particular group.... as is repetitively the case here.
@ConcordeBoy: Gaza is the target of the war, and their population is near 100% Palestinian. That does not make the Palestinian people as a whole the target. The Palestinians living in other countries in the region (including Israel!) are doing just fine. Was the US committing genocide against the Japanese during WWII? The US was organized. The US engaged in systematic strikes. The US killed hundreds of thousands of civilians, ~100% of whom were Japanese....
@ConcordeBoy: Gaza is the target of the war, and their population is near 100% Palestinian. That does not make the Palestinian people as a whole the target. The Palestinians living in other countries in the region (including Israel!) are doing just fine. Was the US committing genocide against the Japanese during WWII? The US was organized. The US engaged in systematic strikes. The US killed hundreds of thousands of civilians, ~100% of whom were Japanese. History is rife with debates about the morality of those strikes, and yet no historian considers it a genocide. The same will be true here.
I'll also point out that after 7 months of war by one of the most advanced, efficient, and well-funded militaries in the world, Israel has killed around 1% of the civilian population of Gaza. Given how much ordinance they've dropped and how densely populated Gaza is, it's abundantly clear that they're making at least *some* effort to avoid unnecessary civilian casualties. If this is a genocide, it's the most poorly executed one in history.
"Literally all of it. It's a war."
Bullsh!t, it's an intentional civilian massacre.
"Where are the calls for Hamas to surrender to save Palestinian lives? "
What would it change? Israel still kills THEIR OWN with white flags, disrobed, and screaming that they're released hostages in Hebrew.
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-hostages-killed-mistakenly-gaza-were-holding-white-flag-official-says-2023-12-16/
zip your mouth ya sped
More like... Palestine in genocide!!
Shameful decision by United
Lol
Yes, shameful that they didn't start the full schedule from EWR, SFO, IAD and ORD.
Shameful decision of you to say that
Why is it shameful?
I don't understand the zig-zag.
Since January practically nothing changed - central Israel is not under significant threat, pro-Palestinians accuse Israel of any evil on the planet - same old.
Yet United returned in March, withdrew, returning now, supposedly due to crew safety, but nothing relevant changed.
I speculate that anti-Israeli worker unions pull one way, and pro-profit management pulls the other way, so we see the changing balance.
There are constant rocket attacks into Israel from both Gaza and Lebanon, though they barely get covered in the Western media. So perhaps service resumptions are contingent on how that goes. That being said, the war isn't ending anytime soon, so foreign airlines either need to figure out how to operate in these conditions, or stay out and let El Al take the market to itself and make bank on it.
"There are constant rocket attacks into Israel from both Gaza and Lebanon"
LOL, "rocket attacks" from Gaza.
The Israeli north is under constant fire from Hezbollah.
Areas around the Gaza strip are occasionally attacked by Hamas (yes, ImmortalSynn, from Gaza).
The center, including TLV airport, is quiet.
But all this didn't change. United's zigzag isn't correlated to the risk level. It seems arbitrary, or political.
"yes, ImmortalSynn, from Gaza"
As the quotation marks should fairly clearly indicate, the "from Gaza," wasn't the part I was scoffing at for being so ridiculously embellished.
I think it is wonderful DL. “my” airline is resuming service. Hopefully ATL-TLV service will soon follow. With their partnership with El Al, that gives tremendous connectivity through the US and other areas in the DL network. I wish both DL and UA success and safety with this relaunch.
Excellent, very glad to see United returning to Israel on the 787-10 none-the-less, quite the capacity!
Amazing connectivity through United's Newark airport to destinations across the US.
This aged well: “won't it be funny if it is DL that is actually the first back into the market.” -OMAAT’s smartest commenter
Funny how things shake out, I remember some wishcasting just yesterday that United wouldn't do this so as to (arguably?) relinquish the title of "first airline to resume service to Israel" to another airline.
You are SO easily wound up.