El Al extends price caps to four international hubs through February 2025

Israel’s flagship carrier El Al announced Sunday it was maintaining its cap on ticket prices to four key international transit hubs through at least February 2025, upholding a policy instituted in August, given sky-high costs for Israeli travelers due to the ongoing war.

Round-trip tickets to Athens will remain capped at $299, while tickets to Vienna and Dubai will remain capped at $349.

Tickets to Frankfurt will also be capped at $349. The latter destination has replaced Larnaca, Cyprus, which previously had a price cap of $199, and which has been removed from the scheme.

Those prices are for “lite” tickets in economy class. El Al flies dozens of flights to the four destinations each week, the airline said, adding that it will seek to add more flights to those routes, to the extent possible, in order to meet demand.

The carrier said tens of thousands of tickets will be available at these prices for flights during the period in question.

Major foreign airlines have repeatedly halted service to Israel since the outbreak of war in October 2023, ceding the market to El Al, some smaller Israeli carriers, and a handful of other airlines, mostly from the Gulf and Eastern Europe.

With the absence of foreign carriers, the supply of flights low, and demand high, ticket prices have soared. Israeli airlines, led by El Al, are the biggest beneficiaries, as travelers from Ben Gurion Airport are almost entirely dependent on them.

The airline has been criticized for taking advantage of the regional tension to hike prices, as it has seen its most profitable quarters ever since the onset of the war.