Sun D'Or, the El Al subsidiary (which also operates charter flights on Saturday), will open three new routes starting January 9. Until the end of April, Israelis will be able to fly to Munich starting at $480 for roundtrip airfare. The other two destinations are Chambéry and Grenoble, in the French Alps, with roundtrip fares starting at $490 and $300, respectively.
Sun D'Or will fly to the two French destinations until the end of March; the Grenoble route will operate only in January and March, skipping over February. The January tickets to Chambéry had sold out quickly, but the advertised prices are still available for February.
Sun D'Or CEO Michael Strassburger said the new destinations were picked to answer the demands of ski lovers. “Chambéry is located in the heart of the French Alps, as is Grenoble,” he said.
He also added that Sundor will resume flights to Nice, which first became a destination over the summer, during the upcoming winter season, at a price of $280 and up.
According to travel agent estimates, some 35,000 Israelis are expected to depart on a ski vacation in Europe during the winter months, mainly to various French sites, with some choosing more inexpensive alternatives in Eastern Europe.
Sun D'Or, which lost its commercial air license in April 2011 for not meeting Israeli regulations and international standards, has since been operating seasonal passenger charters. The majority of its operations are dedicated to leasing planes to tour organizers while also operating low-frequency flights to seasonal destinations.
The company has two planes in its fleet. Strassburger revealed to “Globes” that the company will add a third when it leases a Boeing 737-800 in the summer of 2016. He also said the company was looking into six new destinations for the summer season, including Stuttgart for fans of the Black Forest with fares starting at $410 and Tbilisi, the Georgian capital, with fares starting at $420.
“We will begin selling tickets most likely this upcoming April,” said Strassburger, adding the company was considering adding a direct flight to a new long-distance destination. As of now, it is considering the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Cuba. The flights would be sold by Sundor with the help of tour organizers and flown with El Al’s wide-body jets as normal flights, as opposed to the low-cost model.
“Our big challenge is to penetrate the direct long-distance market. I hope by the Fall holidays of 2016 we will have one new long-distance destination. We’re now looking into different locations in the Caribbean.”
Meanwhile, the British carrier Monarch Airlines (which previously flew to Israel until ending its operating nearly a decade ago) announced that it will renew its flights on December 3 launching three weekly flights on the Tel Aviv-London route. The fares from Tel Aviv start at £67 and £90 from London. The ticket price does not include checked baggage (£40), seat selection (£5.5) or a meal (£12).
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on November 27, 2015
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