The U.S. air carrier Delta Air Lines announced on Thursday that it will renew its daily flights on the Tel Aviv-New York (JFK Airport) route starting June 7. The company announced that the route will be operated with an Airbus A330-900neo aircraft and will transport approximately 2,000 passengers weekly .
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Delta Air Lines will join United Airlines, which returned to Israel in March and operates a daily flight to Newark Liberty International Airport. Delta Air Lines is the second largest U.S. airline after American Airlines, which has not returned to Israel. Delta's return is expected to increase competition on the New York route, leading to a decrease in prices that have soared since October 7.
Yoni Waxman, chief information officer and vice chairman of Ophir Tours, said that Delta's return will lower prices on the route, but emphasized that Delta had already announced its return to Israel and then postponed it. "As you may recall, Delta Air Lines announced back on February 21 that they would return on May 1, and now it has been postponed to June. We always recommend waiting; those willing to take a risk can book their flight, but if they postpone again, the alternatives may be very expensive," he said.
"We currently see that flight prices between June 13-25 with Delta start at $1,004, while flights with El Al on the same dates start at $1,348, and United Airlines' price is $2,025. Of course, it's possible to fly via London, combining British Airways and American Airlines, at a price starting at $685, but that includes a night in London. There is also the option to fly with Iberia via Madrid starting at $787," he added.
Shirley Cohen Orkaby, vice president of marketing at Eshet Tours Group, welcomed Delta's return to Israeli skies. "We certainly welcome any airline that resumes flights to the country, and we are pleased about Delta Air Lines' return to Israel. The opening of competition on the route to the U.S. will undoubtedly increase competition and lower prices," she said.
"The U.S. has become an even more sought-after destination since the outbreak of the war, and the visa waiver has made visiting it more accessible. I also believe that adding flights on the route will encourage the American Jewish community to come to Israel more easily, bolstering incoming tourism," she added.
In December, Delta announced it signed a codeshare agreement with El Al. "Delta customers have access to EL AL’s direct services to Tel Aviv from major U.S. cities like New York-JFK, New York-Newark, Boston, Los Angeles, Miami and Fort Lauderdale. With the upcoming reinstatement of Delta’s New York-JFK service this summer, customers have additional travel choices connecting North America and Israel," Delta said in its announcement.