When it comes to airfare, a little effort can save you a bundle. Courier fares are the cheapest for those whose plans are flexible enough to deal with the restrictions. For those with flexibility and patience, standby flights are one way to save; call major airline companies for details. Tickets sold by consolidators are also good deals, but last-minute specials and airfare wars often beat these fares. The key is to hunt around, be flexible, and ask about discounts. Students, seniors, and those under 26 should never pay full price for a ticket.
Airfares to Israel peak between mid-June and mid-August; holidays are also expensive. The cheapest times to travel are spring and fall. Midweek (M-Th morning) round-trip flights run cheaper than weekend flights, but they are generally more crowded and less likely to permit frequent-flier upgrades. Not fixing a return date (“open return”) or arriving in and departing from different cities (“open-jaw”) can be pricier than round-trip flights. Patching one-way flights together is the most expensive way to travel. Flights between Israel’s capitals or regional hubs—Ben-Guiron International Airport near Tel Aviv and Ovda International Airport in Eilat are among the most frequented—will tend to be cheaper.
If Israel is only one stop on a more extensive globe-hop, consider a round-the-world (RTW) ticket. Tickets usually include at least five stops and are valid for about a year; prices range US$3000-8000. Try the airline consortiums Oneworld (www.oneworld.com), Skyteam (www.skyteam.com), and Star Alliance (www.staralliance.com).
Fares for round-trip flights to Tel Aviv from the US or Canadian east coast cost US$1000-2900 in the low season (Sept.-May.); from the US or Canadian west coast US$1100-2000/1400-2700; from the UK, UK£300-400/300-360.
While knowledgeable agents specializing in flights to Israel can make your life easy, they may not spend the time to find you the lowest possible fare—they get paid on commission. Travelers holding ISICs and IYTCs qualify for big discounts from student travel agencies. Most flights from budget agencies are on major airlines, but in high season some may sell seats on less reliable chartered aircraft.
Standard commercial carriers like American (☎+1-800-433-7300; www.aa.com) and United (☎+1-800-538-2929; www.ual.com) generally offer the most convenient flights, but they may not be the cheapest, unless you snag a special promotion or airfare-war ticket. You will probably find a better deal from one of the following “discount” airlines, if any of their limited departure points is convenient for you.
From Australia and New Zealand, there are limited direct flights to Israel. The best bet to reach Israel is to connect through Europe through one of the discount airlines outlined above. Look for consolidator ads in the travel section of the Sydney Morning Herald and other papers for more information.
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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