DansDeals reader and CEO of Shmais.com Levi Hodakov reached out to me last week to figure out how to send his daughter to seminary in Israel.
Israel’s borders are closed to foreigners, but Yeshivas and Seminary programs there have been hopeful based on government advice that they will be allowed to open this fall and students will get permission to fly to Israel and quarantine upon arrival. With COVID-19 cases there spiking, that will be an open question until they actually board the plane. Israel has previously shut down student travel without any advance warning unless you were already en-route.
There are a few factors to unpack here:
- Which airline is most likely to operate
- Which airline will be the best in case they need to cancel
- Which routing is best given the current situation
While in normal years it would probably make sense to look into connections in other countries, I’d be wary of doing that now. The situation is just too fluid and you don’t want to have your teenage child stuck in a terminal on another continent when the rules suddenly change.
El Al is not currently selling flights in August, though they may be open to operating charter flights. Personally I’d be wary of these as the odds of getting a refund from El Al or a travel agent chartering a flight if things go south are slim.
If you want a direct flight from the US, that leaves just Delta and United.
Delta has the advantage of blocking middle seats for social distancing. If you book your ticket by 7/31, you can cancel your flight for free, but you’ll only have 1 year from the time of booking to finish using the ticket and it will have to be used in the passenger’s name.
United isn’t blocking middle seats, however if you book your ticket by 7/31 they will allow you to cancel a flight and request an electronic travel certificate in its place. That certificate will be valid for 2 years (or potentially even longer) and can be used by anyone for travel on United.
If you have Delta miles, you can book a Delta flight and get a refund of the miles and taxes as long as you cancel before departure.
If you have United miles, you can book a United flight and get a refund of the miles and taxes as long as you cancel 30 days before departure. Alternatively you can change your ticket for free at any time and make the date later in 2020 in order to allow yourself to cancel 30 days before departure for free. 😀
While students often pay extra for an open ended ticket, both Delta and United tickets are essentially open ended as change fees are waived. If the price of a ticket goes up though, you would be responsible for the change of fare, though that should be fairly minimal for the return portion of a ticket.
While there is currently United saver award space from Newark to Tel Aviv on August 25 for 32K Turkish miles or 42.5K United miles, that would get his daughter into Israel a day late for school.
He could also wait to book tickets, but with fewer flights operating, there’s a good chance that seats will sell out. Thanks to flexible ticket policies, the risk to book now is fairly low.
In the end he booked a round-trip from Tampa to Tel Aviv on United via Newark for about $1,000. If school gets cancelled he’ll have a $1,000 voucher that anyone can use on United for at least the next 2 years. The voucher can be used an unlimited amount of times until the funds are completely used or it can be used in combination with any other United vouchers for more expensive tickets. And assuming that school does start on time, the return flight will be changeable for free.
What tickets are you booking for your kids learning in Israel this year?
Leave a Reply
71 Comments On "Reader Question: Which Airline Should I Use To Book Travel For My Child Hoping To Study In Israel This Year?"
All opinions expressed below are user generated and the opinions aren’t provided, reviewed or endorsed by any advertiser or DansDeals.
Shmais?! Good ol’ times
A blogger before the term was coined!
What does Shmais mean?
Is Israel allowing non Israelis in the country yet with the COVID situation?
No, and tourists are unlikely to be able to enter anytime soon.
However students are hoping to get an exception for the upcoming school year.
Dan: what do you think of this article this eve?
https://matzav.com/finally-yeshiva-and-seminary-students-to-be-able-to-return-to-israel-for-elul/
Completely meaningless until there is an approval in writing.
Then again, even after there is an approval in writing it’s meaningless as happened in June when people bought tickets and then Israel revoked their written approvals.
In short, hope for the best and prepare for the worst.
Means about as much as the Israeli government promising not to dismantle a Yishuv.
I booked on United – Chicago thru Newark. I figure that I should support the airline that is planning to bring direct flight to Chicago. There is a possibility, however, that they are going to force us to use a “group flight” but I booked both ways on United metal to ensure the ability to cancel…
I’m just waiting now to hear what the official word is as they finalize the decisions.
Makes sense to me.
I wouldn’t join a group flight unless I had to. Risk is too high.
Can schools force you to take the group flights? The wording from the schools make it seem as you must travel and arrive by the times they say or you risk not being allowed into the school. If you aren’t on their group flight and your flight is delayed, then what…
Go on their flight just go through your own travel agent
I’d clarify in advance what will happen if the flight gets cancelled or if students can’t go.
And even if the airline does refund, the travel agent may not refund. Make sure you enter into that transaction with all the facts.
You should be able to take any flight, if there’s a delay you’ll need to figure things out.
Contact your school for more information.
Not so simple. Quarantine can only happen in certain conditions. If someone comes late or early, school likely doesn’t have a spare room for someone to quarantine alone. Quarantine hotels will not be an option for students
Huh?
The school knows exactly how many people it needs space for.
But like I said, contact your school for more information.
The school (I am one) has limited bathrooms, dorm rooms, etc. If groups don’t arrive more or less together (probably won’t have to be the same flight, but within 24 hours), they can’t quarantine together. So, for example, an approved quarantine spot may have six beds and a bathroom, if one person occupies that spot, the school now loses five other students
So I understand why you don’t want them coming early, but what’s wrong with coming late and joining the other 5 students in quarantine?
If they come late and move into a room with other students, all of them would have to extend the quarantine based on the latest arrival
Like Dan says, if you arrive on or before the group, the timing wouldn’t be a problem. But keeping a group together does make contact tracing easier. If people arrive separately, quarantine together and then someone tests positive, potentially all tbe people on all the flights could be subject to quarantine. It also means that the students as a group have been exposed to more people over long flights, so it does somewhat increase their risks.
May everyone stay well and have the opportunity to study in Israel this year!
Yes, clearly I’m referring to arriving the same day as everyone else.
My son’s Yeshiva gave us a window in which the kids need to arrive at Ben Gurion – i.e. between these hours on this date (It’s a 6-hour window).
This makes sense.
Bais in neve yaakov told us a month ago that we needed to take a group flight ( in order to guarantee quarantining altogether) ELAL August 23rd which was being arranged by a well known travel agency here in NY.
This flight was supposed to leave at 9 p.m.
I have a return ticket for my son on United that leaves at 8 p.m. that will arrive an hour before this group flight.
What I don’t understand is, how are they staying together when there are other people on the flight and meeting thousands of people as they are getting their luggage?
I guess my question is why can’t my son not travel with the group and then just meet them in the airport and still be considered part of the group leaving the airport and going to Yeshiva?
I don’t see any reason why that wouldn’t be possible, but the concern may be that one of the flights are delayed.
Assuming things run normally, he could just wait for them at the exit.
Just to confirm one important point. My son made it back in the small window that they were allowing yeshiva bochurim back. His yeshiva allowed (with permission) bochurim who arrived at the same time to be treated as one family for quarantine rules, i.e. sharing a bathroom. If everyone arrives at the same time it is fine, but I imagine they are concerned with the what-ifs and don’t want to risk that situation.
is delta requiring 72 hours advance cancellation on award ticket ?
from Dans words it seems that no. delta rep told me yes but they do not always know….
Normally yes, but with the COVID waiver you can get an exception.
Earlier this month there was wide open availability on delta with 29k flying blue miles. Those are also fully refundable.
i booked august 3 on turkish using aegean points and air france on delta points. turkish just cancelled the flight however if i refund the ticket the aegean points can take a while to come back, so hoping UA nonstop will open last minute, aegean can put me on that, and will cancel out delta / air france ticket…
Hi Dan,
You sure about the free changes? I’ve spoken with Delta half a dozen times including group sales and they’ve consistently said there would be a charge for the change ($300) if the change is made after 7/31, not just if the ticket is booked then
No need to take my word for it.
https://www.delta.com/us/en/travel-update-center/cancel-change-requirements
Most phone agents are worthless. That being said, group travel may have different restrictions than regular paid and award tickets.
Saw the website. It refers to changes before departure, not the return date. So it’s not essentially open ended. There would be a hefty fee to change
People have been changing the return legs of their tickets for free on Delta and United.
Also, the full terms when you click on “Any Travel Purchased Between March 1 and July 31, 2020” say nothing about the return leg not qualifying for a free change.
“please cancel or modify your itinerary in My Trips ahead of your departure date and incur no change fees”
1. That is not written in the full terms when you actually click on “Any Travel Purchased Between March 1 and July 31, 2020”
2. The return date is also a “departure date.” The point is not to skip your flight and then call afterward, not that you can’t change the return departure date.
3. People have been able to modify their return date on Delta and United for free.
“Departure” usually means the time or place the plane leaves from. The way there on a round trip ticket can be referred to as “outbound” or “outward” flight.
Sorry, to be clear: I know that people (including me) have been changing return legs. That is not at all clear about new travel.purchased now…
You are over-reading into it IMHO.
United says “Any changes or cancellation must occur prior to ticketed travel date.”
Like I said, their point is not to skip your flight and then call afterward, not that you can’t change the return departure date.
I hear you. Can’t say for sure, but the platinum desk is usually a step up from regular reservations (don’t know if that’s true about group sales desk) and both said the fee would not be waived.
The United Global Services desk gives bad information more than half the time. Phone agents are worthless.
Within the last month I changed 1 leg on 6 (various dates/destinations) Delta tickets. 4 were no fee. 2 were no change fee, however, the fare had gone up on one by $300, and the other by 18,000 miles.
Exactly as it should be, no change fee, but difference in fare applies.
Dan didn’t mean that they are worthless, since every being has worth. He meant that that they are usually not well informed about all the changing policies
Referring to their advice, not them.
Dan, in your personal opinion, what are the chances that this permission actually materializes and Yeshiva’s and sems can bring in their students ?
I’m not a prophet.
My attitude is always hope for the best and plan for the worst. Hence my advice in this post.
A friend of mine runs a school. She said Masa is working on securing the visas for any school under its umbrella.
However, last I heard, Masa knocked out many of the yeshivas/sems that were under that umbrella.
Hey Dan, I booked tickets EWR-MCO on July 10 for 10-5-10/8 at $50 each for 2 adults. When I went to cancel United issued me a voucher and said I can only use for the 2 ticketed passengers. I tried using my $100.40 credit for 2 of the exact same tickets at $28/$29 each ($60 total) and using the remaining credit for a seat for my 1 year old. The united agent said I cannot since she was not ticketed on the reservation only as a lap infant. Not only that they said policy has changed and they will not refund the difference of $40. ($100-$60) I spoke to an agent last night and officially a supervisor (honestly could’ve just been another agent lol)
Ask for a refund to an electronic travel certificate instead of future flight credit.
https://www.dansdeals.com/points-travel/airlines/united/1-week-left-cancel-take-future-flight-credit-electronic-travel-certificate-cancelling-united-flight/
I was able to do it myself on United.com:
https://www.dansdeals.com/points-travel/airlines/united/reader-question-use-chase-ultimate-rewards-points-get-united-card-benefits/
Any advice how to apply for a first time passport? Any way to expedite?
Go to a passport agency office?
As far as I know the US Passport Agency is not issuing passports now. Only emergency applicants that need to travel in the next 36 hours for emergency reasons.
Many passport offices are opening. Make yourself a fully refundable ticket for within a short time period and they will expedite based on your itinerary.
Exactly 🙂
Is there any way to do it online or on the phone as Miami agency is still closed and will probably be closed for a while ?
(I mean to expedite it)
Wow, thanks Dan. Just booked my daughter RT from Houston to TLV on United for $1069- plus paid $286 and 80 Plus Points to confirm her in Polaris lie flat business class both ways. Great deal, especially considering the fact its essentially an “open ticket” due to the flexibility offered by the new no change fees policy… 🙂
Great deal for a flexible ticket with an upgrade!
And you have one lucky daughter that will have some jealous friends. Make sure she tells them about DansDeals 😀
*Many jealous friends
When is your opinion about British airways tickets at this point?
Thanks much
This thread isn’t going to excuse the absence of this week’s Sunday Roundup 😉
Most people don’t have 65K TK points sitting around – they’ll likely transfer from Citi or another partner. And while you’ll get your 65K TK points back, you won’t be able to move them back to Citi.
So I would caution your readership, not to book with TK or another “fringe” mileage program unless you’re ok potentially sitting with a large TK balance for a while.
I think at this point, the best mileage option would be the one you already have enough currency of. Don’t transfer flexible point currencies just to book a ticket that is probably better than 50/50 to get refunded.
What’s wrong with TK? Why can’t you use it for another Star Alliance flight i.e. United domestic?
It’s not about TK specifically – I just brought them up because they were specifically cited in the post.
The point is that even in normal times, you never want to transfer flexible currencies without a specific redemption in mind. In crazy times like this, even moreso you don’t want to sit with a balance because by the time you might be ready to use it for a different purpose, a lot could change.
If you are absolutely confident you’ll have a use for TK miles, and that whatever sweet spot you want to use it on will still be around when you’re ready to book, great! But that won’t be the case for many people. The odds of that Hawaii loophole still being around in a year or two is slim.
I foolishly booked ElAl for my Son at the end of June, about a week before they went belly up. I then booked on Delta with Miles – however they told me it’s $150 to change or cancel his flight – did I speak to the wrong people?
The worst part. The flight he’s on went up from about 70,000 miles when I first looked at it to 100k miles when I booked it.
HUCA
Is it safer to pay for a return ticket with points or with a credit card? I have enough Chase points. I don’t know if the school will give travel options or insist on parents booking with their agent
What about AirCanada? Any pitfalls flying through Toronto?
My daughter’s school is being very flexible. They offered a group flight on UA the other day through a travel agent. They suggested booking on our own for less money or just waiting it out were also possible options. They normally use ELAL. Now that they were advised that students will be let in, they are hopeful that ELAL will offer flights, for those that did not book on UA. Who knows? I figure if none of this works out for September, my daughter can enroll for online classes at our local community college and we will hope for at least half a year in Israel in Sem!
Hey Dan,
In regard to the one year allotted for booking Delta tickets with a canceled flight credits, if I would book right now, would the return ticket also have to be by July 21st. It’s very relevant because for me because the next year Tisha B’Av is on July 18. I want to know if I can book a departure ticket before July 21st next year, and return a month later, which would be a year and one month from the time of purchase.
Thanks for all your help always!