Delta continues to grow in the increasingly competitive NYC-Tel Aviv market.
This month they are flying 10 weekly flights between JFK and Tel Aviv on their A330-900neos with business class suites and a premium economy class.
Next month that will increase to twice daily flights on their A330-900neos.
And starting on 9/1 that will increase to a whopping 3 daily JFK-Tel Aviv flights, with 2 A330-900neos and 1 A330-300!
- From JFK they will offer departures at 3:35pm, 10:45pm, and 11:45pm.
- From Tel Aviv they will offer departures at 12:30am, 11:50am, and 11:55pm.
That’s a big bet on the recovery of travel to Israel, though with world-leading vaccination rates, hopefully Israel will be able to reopen and welcome visitors in the near future.
That means there will be a whopping 11 peak daily departure between NYC and Tel Aviv in September and October:
- Delta will offer 2 daily A330-900neo flights (168 economy, 56 economy+, 28 premium economy, 29 business) and 1 daily A330-330 flight (219 economy, 40 economy+, 34 business) from JFK to Aviv for a total capacity of 855 seats each way.
- El Al will offer 3 daily 787-9 flights (222 economy, 28 premium economy, 32 business) from JFK to Aviv for a total capacity of 846 seats each way.
- American will offer 1 daily 777-200 flight (146 economy, 66 economy+, 24 premium economy, 37 business) from JFK to Aviv for a total capacity of 273 seats each way.
- El Al will offer 2 daily 787-9 flights (222 economy, 28 premium economy, 32 business) from Newark to Aviv for a total capacity of 564 seats each way.
- United will offer 2 daily 787-10 flights (199 economy, 54 economy+, 21 premium economy, 44 business) from Newark to Aviv for a total capacity of 636 seats each way.
Delta will offer the most daily seats on the JFK-Tel Aviv route and they will leap ahead of United in the combined NYC-Tel Aviv market.
Then again American will also fly from Miami to Tel Aviv, United will also fly from Chicago and San Francisco to Tel Aviv, and El Al will also fly from Los Angeles, Miami, and Toronto to Tel Aviv.
Delta used to fly from Atlanta to Tel Aviv, but they abandoned that in order to focus on Tel Aviv operations from JFK. That bet seems to have paid off as they prepare to become the largest carrier on that flagship route.
Do you think Delta will try to maintain 3 daily flights from JFK to Tel Aviv in the long-term? Or will they just try it out while there is a lull in demand to other destinations?
HT: Joel
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41 Comments On "Delta Adding A 3rd Daily JFK-Tel Aviv Flight For September And October, Offering The Most Daily Seats Between The 2 Airports"
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Is it bookable already?
Yes
Delta’s 3x day service appears to reduce back to 2x a day from 10/30 onward.
Read the post? It clearly says September and October
I don’t get it, why don’t they try from a diffrent airport. Like from Detroit to compete with UA on with the Midwest market or from LA to compete with the West Coast Market.
Because the NYC flights make more money.
I dont see why they arent trying ATL again. The connecting traffic from the southeast and texas might prove successful. Not every person is tempted to connect through NYC, so American may grab that traffic via MIA.
The NYC flights have a much higher yield. They’re rather focus there and have the best schedule possible while funneling all connecting traffic there.
United also flies from IAD.
That route is suspended.
It’s unclear if it will resume.
IAD is among the very few (mid-sized) airports that can say they had more passenger volume in 2005 than they had in 2019. There has been stagnant growth for both domestic and international at IAD, which continued decline. Couple that in with the fact that the frum Maryland communities upwards of over 1 hour distance from IAD, I personally and humbly never thought this flight would succeed. Clearly BWI isn’t a hub for United, but if it theoretically was a hub, I’d see no reason why that market wouldn’t succeed because of 3 reasons. 1. Jewish communities of Maryland, and Philadelphia 2. BWI is an airport with continued passenger volume growth and expanding destinations (IAD is by in large the opposite) 3. BWI has several regional transit options to get to the airport (IAD has minimal to none, though the Metro is being constructed). I’d go a step further and predict that within a few years United will downgrade IAD’s hub status, just like Delta did with CVG and MEM (Northwest Air merger).
United needs IAD as an east coast reliever hub because EWR is at capacity.
You are definitely right about it being far from the frum community in Baltimore! Getting to IAD from Baltimore will usually take 1.5 to 2 hours. However, don’t discount the communities in Silver Spring and Northern Virginia). Also, people from Baltimore do drive to PHL for some flights. PHL is about the same commute as IAD…
Will there be more business seats with points for sukkas?
Currently, Delta’s the lowest for points travel to Israel (56k RT coach). Two issues
-have to call to request Kosher meals. 4 hour wait time.
-trying to expedite a status match. 3 hour wait time
Any back doors?
I don’t know about back doors but you can easily book a kosher meal online and on the app.
Not all pts are equal in value or ability to earn…
What’s the logic in having 2 flights an hour apart from each other? Why not compete with LY on a early evening ex-NY and afternoon ex-TLV?
The flight time added is the best time to fly. Nights both ways. Quieter flight.
Agreed. Plus, more demand.
Methinks Philadelphia should be on somebody’s raider
American hub and they have bigger fish to fry with the launch of DFW, JFK, and MIA-TLV service this year.
Now all they need is a competitive mileage program…
When can we start booking on the 3rd daily flight?
Now.
I smell some good deals with all the competition… won’t last and some will reduce schedule
Interesting that ELAL had a flight leaving in June at 10:30 AM which I booked for my son yesterday and this morning ELAL emailed me that the flight now leaves at 1:30PM.
IT SEEMS LIKE ELAL IS FEELING THEIR WAY BACK SLOWLY AND TRYING TO FIGURE OUT TIMES TO MAXIMIZE THEIR ROUTES..
why are there so little flights from newark?
It’s not near where most people live.
Have you heard of the towns of Lakewood, Jackson and Toms River with an orthodox Jewish population of over 100,000 ? Not to mention, Passaic, Edison, etc.
Eli, I guess only the yeshivish communities go to Israel. Not teaneck, fair lawn, bergenfield, elizabeth, springfield, west orange, etc.. 😉
Guess what ? As of 2018
“Some 61% of all tourists in Israel this year were Christian, 22% were Jews, 12.1% were not affiliated, 1.8% were Muslim, 0.6% were Buddhists, 0.5% were Hindus, and 0.1% were Bahais, the ministry indicated.”
It’s not exact as Jewish travelers may come more than once a year but may not be counted for each visit.
Still it’s time to take off the blinders and realize that we are not the only people taken into account by airlines regarding dates ,times, airport locations.
It’s a big world out there!
Several points to be mentioned.
I assume they are basing these statistics on arrivals at entry. This would be a number of entries which is counting each arrival by a person that comes often.
A lot of traffic and especially premium traffic is business, either foreigners or Israeli. Airlines pay attention because the fares are usually much higher.
My high tech friends in Israel fly LH since it works with an easy transfer in Germany to almost anyplace in the free world.
Could be but they don’t ask your religion upon arrival, it’s not included onpassports, , and they would have no legal way of getting the information that way.
I’m just pointing out that people here think decisions are made based on which frum community’s needs are most important. Airlines care about customers. If there are lots of Christian pilgrims coming from Texas or the midwest (and there are) they should and will be considered. I seem to remember that during various tough times over the past 20 years, when Jewish customers didn’t travel because of fear, the Christian tourists kept coming.
Israeli american frequent business travelers not necessarily frum, have also increased dramatically over the years and they are also catered to.
Its’s business, not personal. If a flight schedule works for me, I won’t complain if it came about because of people not like me. If I don’t like the schedule, I still can understand why it happens.
True, more than half of tourists to Israel are Christian, but that stat is worldwide. I am willing to bet that the overwhelming majority of those flying to Israel from the NY metropolitan are not only Jews, but Orthodox Jews. (according to the 2013 PEW report, 43% of all Jews have visited Israel, 77% of Orthodox Jews have visited)
On almost all of the many flights I’ve been on over the years, a significant number of people appeared to be people connecting from other cities, many probably not Jews. I didn’t ask, but clearly not frum Jews. And don’t forget that Delta, United and American fly Shabbos too, so who is on those full flights? It adds up.
All I keep saying, is just don’t have blinders on all the time. We don’t actually need to count. Just don’t assume that decisions are made based on a specific population that is well represented here.
I stand corrected. I did say etc. , though. But none of those communities come close to the size of greater Lakewood.
seems like after October DL will go back to winter 2 flights daily until March
Any idea if United or other airline will fly again nonstop from DC to TLV?
TBD.
United is allowing bookings from IAD-TLV starting in October, but who knows if those people will be rebooked onto EWR/ORD-TLV flights. I think United will feel out the ORD-TLV flight over the Summer and eventually keep that and give IAD the axe.