El Al Israel Airlines Ltd. (TASE: ELAL) today inaugurated a domestic route to Eilat, with tickets starting at NIS 99 one way. Flights will be made with 136-seat Boeing 737s that will depart from Ben Gurion Airport's Terminal 1.
El Al CEO Eliezer Shkedi said, "This is a breakthrough and good news for tourists entering and leaving Israel. El Al's scheduled flight, inaugurated today for the first time, will boost the number of number of tourists, improve service, and bring the periphery closer to the center of the country to everyone's benefit. We believe that El Al's regular service between Tel Aviv and Eilat will substantially boost both domestic and international tourism to Eilat."
To serve Israelis and tourists making follow-on flights to El Al's international destinations, the airline will provide shuttles between Terminal 1 and the international terminal, Terminal 3, at Ben Gurion Airport. Check-in for the follow-on flights will be carried out at Eilat Airport.
To mark the first month of the launch, El Al is offering special single-segment fares of NIS 189 based on a booklet of 14 midweek flights for residents of central Israel, and NIS 149 per segment for residents of Eilat who buy the 14-midweek flights booklet
El Al is not yet offering market-breaking fares to Eilat. Although both Arkia Airlines Ltd. and Israir Airlines and Tourism Ltd. charge up to NIS 400 one-way fares to Eilat, they both make dozens of flights every day between Ben Gurion Airport and Eilat, compared with three daily flights by El Al.
In addition, Arkia CEO Gadi Tepper launched the Arkia Express service a few months ago, which offers starting fares at NIS 80, not including luggage costs, for advance reservations.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on June 27, 2010
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2010