Brisbane to Tel Aviv on VA partners

[rtyuiop]

Hi folks,

Anyone got any suggestions on the best way to get to Tel Aviv from Brisbane using VA partners?

Best I've been able to come up with so far is Abu Dhabi and then somehow make my way over to Tel Aviv, but not sure if coming into Israel that way will cause me hassles. Alternatively I suppose I could do SQ to Singapore then Hong Kong or Bangkok and then jump on an El Al flight, but that seems like a major hassle (and I'll be stuck without status or points earn on El Al).

Any options I haven't thought of? All in Y, so I don't really want to think about heading to Europe and backtracking...

Danny

 

[docjames]

TK have good options to TLV ex-IST. So you could try using VA partners to IST....


Or SQ BNE-SIN-BOM-TLV
(ELAL from BOM - of course, then you'd be transitting BOM which is perhaps less than ideal although the connection there is 2hr outbound, 3.5 on the return leg....)

 

[rtyuiop]

I think SQ to IST is the leading contender so far. Although I'm not far from ditching VA and going QF to HKG/BKK and El Al from there.

Wish VA would get a few more international destinations serviced on their own metal, would give a few more options for getting to places like Israel or Japan!

Edited to add: I've spent something like 5 months in India in the last year and a half, no desire at all to drop into BOM!

 

[docjames]

I think SQ to IST is the leading contender so far. Although I'm not far from ditching VA and going QF to HKG/BKK and El Al from there.

Wish VA would get a few more international destinations serviced on their own metal, would give a few more options for getting to places like Israel or Japan!

Edited to add: I've spent something like 5 months in India in the last year and a half, no desire at all to drop into BOM!

Not even for 2 hours??



If you're not welded to VA then TG have a fare with codeshare on ELAL ex-BKK too. One stop BNE-BKK-TLV. 3hr connection outbound, but 9hr inbound.

 

[rtyuiop]

I was visiting one of our (large) Indian offices once, and tried to find a marker pen... 3 hours and several rounds of paperwork later, someone delivered... Shame it was the wrong kind of pen. I am mentally scarred when it comes to anything supposedly fast and easy in India!

Yeah, noticed that TG flight. I figure Qantas and El Al through Asia will at least get me some QFF points if I have to look outside the comforting familiarity of VA and SQ.

 

[Supersonic Swinger]

An alternative would be to fly Etihad to Amman in Jordan, which is 50 kms from Jerusalem. Royal Jordanian does the short flights AMM-TLV, which may be preferable to a border land crossing.

 

[jneufeld]

I looked into doing this 2 years back and ended up flying outside of the VA network. The best options are via IST, be it on EY via AUH or on SQ via SIN. You will be better taken care of in terms of status bonuses and lounge access with EY. When trying to schedule through AMM the layover was too long as the inbound flight from AUH didn't line up with the departing RJ flight. The TK lounge in IST is very nice, if you have access.