When I made aliyah in January 1984, I worried, like most new residents, whether I might find myself in a position where regional politics would prevent me from leaving the country if I chose to do so.
My concern, of course, was that if a future war developed, would I be able to find airlines willing to fly into or out of a country at war?
As it turned out, I had no reason to worry, because El Al proved to everyone that, if at all possible, they would do their best to keep flying so we could leave if we wanted to and return to Israel even if no other airlines were flying.
Our recent history has proven, once again, that this is a pretty safe bet, for which we are all grateful.
However, I never thought I would find it a challenge to go on vacation or visit family abroad because I could not afford to pay the airfare. Yet this is what has happened to those of us who live in Israel, especially since COVID started, and was followed by three years of a war that never seems to end.
It is a particularly difficult challenge for those who are either aged or infirm and, for health reasons, cannot travel in a tourist class seat on long overseas flights.
For example, in an effort to find a reasonable fare from Tel Aviv to New York this season, I checked prices for the period between Thanksgiving in the US and Christmas, roughly 2-3 weeks when air travel (and seat costs) is traditionally somewhat lower than usual.
Looking at the time slot between December 7-15, while there are economy seats available on some flights for under $1,500 round trip, economy plus seats are going for about $4,000 round trip, with business class averaging $9,000 round trip. Economy plus and business class fares are roughly double what they were a year ago at this time. Why?
Ostensibly, the airlines will say that airfares have spiked dramatically as a result of a combination of surging fuel costs, reduced competition from budget carriers, constrained aircraft capacity, and a strategic pivot by major airlines toward higher-margin fares. Of course, the biggest factor is skyrocketing jet fuel costs, which have doubled over the last year.
Fair enough. Geopolitical conflicts in the Middle East have severely tightened global oil and fuel supplies, pushing jet fuel prices to multi-year highs. Since fuel accounts for up to a third (or more) of an airline’s total operating expenses, carriers have no alternative but to pass these massive increases onto consumers through higher ticket prices and fuel surcharges.
Yet it does not take a genius to figure out that the increased cost of jet fuel is “seat selection agnostic.” That is, the increased fuel cost to fly a Boeing 787 passenger jet from Tel Aviv to New York this year over last is more or less independent of how many passengers sit in each section of the aircraft.
Agreeing on that point would lead one to assume that the jet fuel surcharge should be applied to each passenger as a fixed add-on to the cost of the seat, regardless of whether it is an economy or business class seat.
Clearly, that logic does not apply, as airlines, El Al included, seem to be driven by profit rather than civic responsibility.
Creating a win-win for everyone
Statistics show that El Al's year-on-year air fares and revenue metrics reflect strong pricing power driven by high demand and limited competition at Ben-Gurion Airport, despite capacity expansions.
Comparing the second quarter of this year to the same period last year (the last time period for which such data is available) shows that RASK (i.e., Revenue per Available Seat Kilometer) rose by 12% year-on-year to $0.1156, indicating that average ticket prices/yields per seat were significantly higher than in the same period last year.
In addition, El Al’s revenue climbed 27% year-on-year to $986 million in Q2 2026, supported by strong forward bookings (1.4 billion) and high load factors. Net profit doubled to $132 million in Q2 2026 (up from $66 million in Q2 2025), even after accounting for impacts from regional conflicts and higher jet fuel prices.
It is also clear that in this high fare environment, El Al’s fares remain elevated compared to historical pre-crisis baselines, heavily influenced by foreign carriers scaling back or delaying full returns to Tel Aviv.
It should also be noted that as competitive airlines return to Tel Aviv, they are not offering lower prices. Simply put, they have no motivation to do so since El Al has set high prices that people are willing (or, more accurately, forced) to pay; they are simply coming along for the ride.
Persistent high pricing has drawn public criticism and oversight attention, though El Al continues to capture nearly half of the market share at Ben-Gurion Airport. Can we, the traveling public, do anything to address this issue? I believe we can and should.
We have the right and ability to petition the Transportation Ministry to meet with El Al and force their hand on this issue. If need be, El Al should be dragged into court and ordered to “show cause” why they are justified in doubling the price of premium tickets rather than simply adding the same fuel charge as they apply to economy tickets.
Winning a case like that would also force the competition to do the same, creating a win-win for everyone. Travelers would pay reasonably competitive prices, and more tourists would visit.
As private companies, the airlines have a right to return earnings to their shareholders. However, they also have the obligation to be good corporate citizens and not take unfair advantage of a captive public.
We should help them see the error of their ways and work to have them correct the thievery of which they are guilty.
The writer, a 42-year resident of Jerusalem, is a former national president of the Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel, a past chairperson of the board of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies, and a Board Member of the Israel-America Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM).