UAE and Israel Normalise Relations

A nice development.

Yes, I would certainly expect that Emirates and/or Etihad might start flights to Tel Aviv. That's a large market of connecting traffic that they're currently missing out on. The new competition could well hurt El Al and Turkish Airlines though.
 
If EK pick up this sector, it should make one stop connections between TLV and AU much better. Suspect it will also hurt RJ on the TLV-AMM route where they charge extortionist fees for a very short flight.
 
Good news for the region and air travel (once it resumes).

For years the shortest ways to fly from Australia to Israel were either KE (the only Asian airline flying to TLV) or QF/LY via BKK or HKG. In recent years it became easier to redeem OW points flying CX all the way. Another option is SQ/TK via SIN and IST which is very good KF redemption but adds another stopover. I hope EK will fly one of their 777s with F to TLV because there was no way so far to get all the way from Australia in F and it also may be a decent QF points redemption.
 
Good news for the region and air travel (once it resumes).

For years the shortest ways to fly from Australia to Israel were either KE (the only Asian airline flying to TLV) or QF/LY via BKK or HKG. In recent years it became easier to redeem OW points flying CX all the way. Another option is SQ/TK via SIN and IST which is very good KF redemption but adds another stopover. I hope EK will fly one of their 777s with F to TLV because there was no way so far to get all the way from Australia in F and it also may be a decent QF points redemption.

From PER you can one stop to TLV via LHR. BA have F in their 777s from LHR to TLV too, so F to TLV from AU is possible, just not one stop though.

From PER, the CX option via HKG has horrendous layovers if you want to go all the way with CX, which is rather unfortunate.

I wonder if LY will still push ahead with their direct flight to MEL when travel returns to normal?
 
From PER you can one stop to TLV via LHR. BA have F in their 777s from LHR to TLV too, so F to TLV from AU is possible, just not one stop though.

From PER, the CX option via HKG has horrendous layovers if you want to go all the way with CX, which is rather unfortunate.

I wonder if LY will still push ahead with their direct flight to MEL when travel returns to normal?

Ah right forgot about BA. Guess I never even considered this option due to the huge cost in points and taxes and because BA F is... not great to be polite ;)

LY is currently in deep financial crisis. They just extended the grounding of their fleet and all 6,000 employees until 30 September. Hopefully they will find a buyer willing to be majority share holder and someone who is interested in expansion (unlike VA new owners who want to go the other way).
 
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Ah right forgot about BA. Guess I never even considered this option due to the huge cost in points and taxes and because BA F is... not great to be polite ;)

LY is currently in deep financial crisis. They just extended the grounding of their fleet and all 6,000 employees until 30 September. Hopefully they will find a buyer willing to be majority share holder and someone who is interested in expansion (unlike VA new owners who want to go the other way).

Maybe a bit OT now, but I don't see LY failing. I think the government would nationalise the airline if it came down to it. There is no way Israel would be without a national carrier.
 
Maybe a bit OT now, but I don't see LY failing. I think the government would nationalise the airline if it came down to it. There is no way Israel would be without a national carrier.


LY will definitely survive but nationalisation will be huge step backwards hence will be done as last resort. Hopefully they’ll find a serious investor.
 
One comment about potential DXB-TLV flights, will EK have access to either Saudi airspace for such flights? I presume so, as although CX seems to give the area a wide berth on HKG-TLV, AI overflies Saudi Arabia enroute from DEL-TLV.
 
One comment about potential DXB-TLV flights, will EK have access to either Saudi airspace for such flights? I presume so, as although CX seems to give the area a wide berth on HKG-TLV, AI overflies Saudi Arabia enroute from DEL-TLV.

Most likely they will. Saudia, UAE and Israel are in the same camp when it comes to mutual interests in the ME.
 
LY will definitely survive but nationalisation will be huge step backwards hence will be done as last resort. Hopefully they’ll find a serious investor.
Well get ready for that step backwards.
 
I just had a look and, in normal times, TK flies 9x per day between TLV and IST. 3 daily flights are even on widebodies.

I'm quite sure that most of this is connecting traffic, which Turkish is in a unique position to capitalise on due to no competition from the ME3 in the Israeli market. Clearly this is going to change soon!
 
Quite a turn around.

When I flew MEL-DBX-IST in 2014, the IFE system moving map had a big black unnamed hole on the screen where Israel would have been.
 
I just had a look and, in normal times, TK flies 9x per day between TLV and IST. 3 daily flights are even on widebodies.

I'm quite sure that most of this is connecting traffic, which Turkish is in a unique position to capitalise on due to no competition from the ME3 in the Israeli market. Clearly this is going to change soon!

Even 10 daily flights during peak season, 4 on widebodies. Used be one of my favourite J redemptions BNE-SIN-IST-TLV and vv using KF miles.
 
I see far more politics than traveller needs/desires in this. I think that this is so far beyond frequent flyer analysis as to make the topic moot.
 

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