Best place to find Flights

Traveling to Israel from the USA or Canada can be costly. We have a restricted number of carriers that fly between different nations, from a restricted number of major centers (New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Toronto) with a restricted number of carriers (EL AL, US Airways, United, Delta and Air Canada).

To many, this shortage of choices means they have to immediately depart from their own airports to one of these hub airports and then to Israel. As a rule, it is less expensive to travel from the USA or Canada to Israel via a town in Europe. One of the simplest ways to do this is to travel with one of the big airlines in Europe via the main hub airports in Europe.

It is often possible to travel with a US carrier to Europe and then with another carrier to Israel (e.g. American Airlines to London and then British Airways or EL AL to Tel Aviv with one ticket). Owing to fares and timetables, the most sought-after connections are currently Swiss Air via Switzerland, Turkish Airlines via Istanbul, Brussels Airlines, British Airways, Alitalia and Lufthansa.

A further way to organise your journey, which could be even less expensive, is to travel to a particular town in Europe and then take a low-cost ticket to Tel Aviv with one of the many cheap carriers in Europe. However, the trouble with this is that you book two segregated flights, so a late arrival at one means that you miss the other means that you probably won't receive an automated free transmission.

Several of the best choices are Easyjet, Air Berlin, Germanwings, Jetairfly, Niki, Smartwings and TUIfly. There are many cost-effective ways to get to Israel from Europe, with a wide choice of airways and carriers, which means that in many cases the markets are highly competitive and inexpensive. Low budget carriers begin to sell tickets for a very cheap airline and raise the fare as more passengers make reservations, which means that prices generally rise as the plane approach.

When you are temporally free and avoiding the peaks of Passover, Easter, July and August and December, you should be able to get a very cheap one. Many low fare companies currently fly between Tel Aviv and major airports in Europe. Often these companies provide unbelievable rates, but it is also important to keep in mind that low-cost companies are not always less expensive than regularly operating companies, so be sure to review them.

Coming from Europe, the benefits of an indirectly scheduled airline are often less than from North America, especially if you make a reservation well in advance. However, you may not be able to get the most out of your trip. However, approaching the date when tariffs have risen can lead to huge cost reductions, although these can still lead to you having to pay the same or more than if you had previously taken a one-way ticket.

Flights from Latin America and the Far East to Israel have fewer choices, which means there is less rivalry with tariffs. Air traveling over Europe is a great way to lower Far East tariffs, but it can give flights a long way to go as you pass Israel efficiently and then return.

When you come to Israel, we have compiled a guidebook on the 10 best ways to visit Israel with a budget and another on rucksack tours in Israel.