After many years of talk about the dramatic announcement that would grant Israelis visa exemptions and allow them to enter the United States easily, quickly and simply, it seems that over the past few months, the optimistic promises have become more tangible than in the past, and indeed, the greater the expectation, the greater the news. As of this week, Israel became only the 41st country in the world whose citizens can enter the United States without a visa.
Now it's official: US visa exemption as early as November // Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The American decision will have a direct and immediate impact on the Israeli aviation industry, with record demand expected for flights to the United States. From the U.S. visa approval data from the past year, the full picture can be understood. Only less than 3% of all Israeli visa applicants were denied. In other words, more than 97% of all Israeli visa applicants have been approved, so the decision to grant the exemption is a kind of significant bottleneck, shortening a long process that many Israelis avoided. In addition, the process also required payment of about 600 shekels and a two-month wait for an appointment at the embassy – additional details that prevented many Israelis from even thinking about flying to the United States, and now, as mentioned, the whole picture is changing.
The supply of flights will increase
Airlines that operate direct flights to the U.S. are already planning to increase the supply of direct flights, which currently stands at about 16 a day to a variety of destinations in the country, with most flights focusing on New York. In addition to the four airlines that operate direct flights: United, El Al, American Airlines and Delta, fierce competition is expected among the other airlines that operate flights to the US with a stopover. These include Turkish Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, TAP, Swiss and Air France, among others, are expected to offer attractive prices in order to attract the Israeli tourist to fly with them. These companies, which fly west from Israel, stop for a short time in Europe, and thus only slightly extend the flight time to the US, often offer very cheap fares on flights to the desired destination.
Closer than ever. New York, Photo: GettyImages
Beyond flights to the US, we are likely to see the development of another interesting trend – easy and probably cheaper access to various destinations in Central America, with an emphasis on Mexico and the Dominican Republic. Getting to those destinations, which are a short and cheap flight away from the United States, has so far necessitated a stopover in the United States, which in return required everyone to issue a visa. Now, it will also be possible to fly through the US to Central American destinations without the need for a visa, which will increase competition for these tourists from airlines that are expected to offer attractive prices.
Will the price go down?
It is important to emphasize that Americans will not allow everyone to enter without a visa – if you have been refused in the past for criminal reasons or for fear of settling, if you have stayed in the United States longer than permitted and have been flagged by the authorities, or if it is determined that you pose a risk, the application to enter the United States without the need for a visa will not be approved and you will be directed to the old route – applying for a visa to the United States.
Manhattan. Have airfares dropped?, Photo: Getty Images
There is no doubt that already this November, a new market will open here, with unprecedented strengths and one of the most attractive and sought-after areas in the world. The Israeli tourist is considered a suitor, one who spends a lot and travels a lot. Accordingly, there is a high chance that the 16 daily direct flights to the US will double, with a reasonable possibility of lowering prices due to the competition that will develop between the various airlines on one of the most cost-effective and sought-after routes.
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