El Al announces new low-cost flights to Europe

El Al will offer 55 low-cost flights weekly to five European locations — Berlin, Prague, Budapest, Larnaca, and Kiev — starting March 2014, the Israeli airline announced Tuesday.

The no-frills flights, hedged under the carrier’s new brand name “Up,” will offer a base-rate price to travelers and charge additional fees for luggage, food, and seat reservations. For the first few months, the price of a one-way ticket to Prague and Budapest will start at $69, while flights to other destinations will begin at $99.

The airline will offer two types of tickets — a “smart” ticket and a “basic” ticket — the former includes services such as preferential seating and entry to the TLV King David lobby. In addition, the 737-800 flights will be split into two classes, Tourist and Tourist Plus, with differing levels of in-flight service.

“We are launching today a new and dynamic airline brand that bears the message of renewal, change, and meeting the changing needs in the aviation world,” El Al CEO Eliezer Shkedi said Tuesday. “In this, we are joining a trend in the international airline industry and the largest airlines in the world, by being attentive to the various preferences of our clientele.”

The decision to add the routes, and the increased competition between airlines, follows the Open Skies agreement signed between Israel and the EU last summer. The agreement, which initially met with fierce opposition from Israel’s national airline, allows European carriers to plan routes to Israel. Since the deal was secured, EasyJet has added routes to Rome and Berlin, and additional European carriers have increased significantly the number of flights to and from Israel.