Now that tourism to Israel is well on its way back to pre-pandemic levels, with January 2023 arrival numbers coming in at only 10 percent less than the first month of 2019, call for travel to the Middle Eastern nation is clearly strengthening.
If you're among those looking to visit this in-demand destination, you'll be excited to learn about two new direct routes from the Sunshine State to Tel Aviv set to start up this autumn.
El Al, Israel's flag carrier, announced Wednesday that it will commence nonstop service from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) to Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport (TLV) for a limited time from mid-September through mid-October.
For 2023, the routes will operate within about a month-long period to coincide with the Jewish high holidays; specifically, on September 13, 20 and 27, and October 5, 10 and 12. Then, the intention is to start year-round service from the South Florida airport sometime in Spring 2024, according to a report from The Points Guy (TPG).
Tickets for El Al's Fall 2023 Fort Lauderdale-to-Tel Aviv flights are already available via the airline's website, while the schedule for its planned year-round service has not yet been announced.
In addition to making Fort Lauderdale its newest U.S. destination, El Al will also add a sixth weekly flight to its existing route between Miami International Airport (MIA) and Tel Aviv. This is as close as the carrier gets to offering daily service, since it doesn't operate at all on the Jewish Sabbath.
El Al is making its move not long after American Airlines announced that it was bowing out of the Miami-to-Tel Aviv market, shutting down its notably successful long-haul route after March 24. While American offered no real explanation for its decision to drop the destination from its map, aside from a "continuous evaluation of our network", it appears El Al will be stepping in to fill the void.
"As demand for travel continues to increase from Florida to Israel, across all segments, we're confident that the new service to Fort Lauderdale will exceed our customers' expectation for service, convenience and value," Marc Cavaliere, El Al's senior vice president for the Americas, said in a statement.
According to TPG, Fort Lauderdale hasn't had a Middle East connection since Emirates Airlines left FLL at the start of the pandemic, instead transferring operations to MIA, which grew to be Florida's busiest airport last year.
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