El Al announced on Monday morning a festive cooperation agreement with Delta. The agreement includes, inter alia, the possibility of accumulating EL AL points on Delta flights and vice versa, mutual benefits and codeshare agreements. This is an agreement that allows Delta to sell EL AL flight tickets on their website, and we emphasize that Delta does not operate direct flights to Israel during this period, at least until March 29, according to their official announcement.
Delta, which has begun selling EL AL flight tickets on the company's website and allows direct flights on EL AL routes from Israel to the US, sells EL AL flights at completely different prices than those EL AL sells them. An examination by Israel Hayom reveals gaps of up to $400 between prices on EL AL's website and prices on the Delta website, in favor of purchasers on the Delta website.
We found the largest gap in flights to Los Angeles, for example – direct EL AL flights, between October 1-14, 2024, the holiday season, will cost $1,407 per passenger on EL AL's website, including a large suitcase and trolley. The exact same flight, operated by El Al, on the same dates, at the same times and on the same plane, is sold on Delta's website for $1,023, a difference of $384 in favor of Delta's website.
Comparison on the EL AL website versus the Delta website - flight to New York, photo: screenshot
Another example can be found on flights to Miami – an El Al flight to Miami sells for $894 on the Delta website, between January 19-23. The exact same El Al flight is sold on the EL AL website for $1,292, a difference of $398. Another flight to Miami, from January 8-16, 2024, is sold on EL AL's website for $1,647, while the exact same flight is sold on Delta's website for $1,288, a difference of $359 in favor of Delta's website compared to El Al's website, on the exact same El Al flight.
On flights to New York, we also found price differences between the Delta website and the EL AL website. In the case of New York, the gaps we found are lower and reach just under $100 For example, an El Al flight sells for $1,514 between January 7-21, while the exact same flight, at the same time and on the same plane, is sold on the Delta website for $1,422, a difference of $92 in favor of Delta's website.
Comparison on EL AL website vs. Delta website - flight to Miami,
In all our tests, EL AL flights sold on Delta's website were significantly cheaper than those flights sold on EL AL's website. A couple who booked the same El Al flight to Miami, through Delta's website, can save almost $800, about NIS 3,000, for the exact same flight. This means that as of now, in all the cases we examined, it is cheaper to book EL AL flights on the Delta website rather than on the EL AL website. It is important to understand that the cooperation allows you to accumulate points and enjoy all the benefits that exist as an EL AL passenger, even if you booked through the Delta website.
Comparison on the EL AL website versus the Delta website - flight to Los Angeles, photo: screenshot
Emanuel Danieli, an El Al customer who went to book an EL AL flight to Los Angeles, says: "I was generally looking for flights for the Rosh Hashanah-Kippur period to visit family in Los Angeles. What I do once a year, usually with El Al, which is the only one that has this direct line. When comparing prices through various websites, I discovered that on Delta's website, the same flight sells for about $400 less than El Al's website. Extremely cheap price for a holiday season. A few hours after this search, I read an advertisement about the cooperation between the two companies and things started coming together. I can only hope that prices will stay that way."
EL AL's response will be submitted when it is published
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