Airfare for Israelis Plummets: Where to Fly
The cost of airfare for Israelis during the Tishrei holidays has significantly dropped compared to last year. Reasons include the strengthening of the shekel and a change in passenger behavior, who have stopped buying tickets in advance. The largest price drops for Rosh Hashanah were recorded on flights to Larnaca (-58%), Rome (-57%), Budapest and Prague (-46%).
The cost of airfare for Israelis for the upcoming autumn holidays (Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot) has significantly decreased compared to last year. The main reasons are the strengthening of the Israeli shekel against the backdrop of a roughly 9% drop in the dollar compared to last July, as well as a change in passenger behavior: due to fears of airspace closures and an unstable security situation, Israelis have stopped planning vacations in advance and are buying tickets at the last minute. According to analytics from the service lastminute.co.il, for Rosh Hashanah the largest price drops were recorded on flights to Larnaca (-58%), Rome (-57%), Budapest and Prague (-46%), Rhodes (-42%), and Athens (-38%). During Yom Kippur, Rome remained the leader in price reduction (-50%), followed by Thessaloniki (-38%), Budapest (-35%), and Montenegro (-25%), while trips to Dubai became 21% more expensive. By Sukkot, discounts decrease: Larnaca is 33% cheaper, Batumi 22% cheaper, while destinations with few direct flights (Tbilisi) show price increases of up to 38%. Experts warn that as available seats dwindle, prices will begin to rise.