El Al has resumed nonstop flights between Israel and Miami. The airline is using a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to run the flights. El Al is only operating once-weekly flights as of now but will increase the number of weekly flights next month.
El Al resumes nonstop Miami flights
El Al resumed nonstop flights from Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport (TLV) to Miami International Airport (MIA) as of October 25th. El Al had suspended the route back in March. The Israeli airline is currently flying one weekly roundtrip flight using a 787-9. From November 15th, however, El Al will expand its operations to three flights a week. This comes as El Al continues to grow its operations.
Following Avianca and Air France, El Al became the third foreign carrier to resume international operations out of Miami.
Israel is currently not open for most travelers, but Miami does have a decent-sized population of Israeli expatriates who may need to go back for personal reasons. This is the only nonstop option between South Florida and Tel Aviv. Before booking, passengers need to confirm whether or not they would be able to enter Israel. Note that there may be quarantine requirements of health insurance requirements during their stay in Israel.
Why does El Al fly to Miami?
In May 2017, El Al announced it would be adding its sixth destination to North America with flights to Miami, starting in November of that year. At the time, David Maimon, President and CEO of El Al, added the following statement:
“I am pleased to announce today that EL AL will be flying to Miami. This decision is part and parcel of the strategy in which we recognized the importance of the trans-Atlantic routes and our desire on expanding EL AL’s presence in North America, ensuring that EL AL continues to be the leading airline, offering the most destinations to/from the USA. This new route will offer Israelis traveling for business and leisure and for those living in the Miami area, easier and more convenient flights to Israel. By offering a non-stop flight along with EL AL’s well-known internationally recognized on-board service, we are confident this route will be a success.”
El Al kept the route from late 2017 through early 2020 before the crisis hit. In fact, before the airline had to suspend the route over an international crisis, the airline had added a fourth weekly flight between Miami and Tel Aviv.
El Al has also worked on operating a global route network, with new routes to Chicago, San Francisco, Las Vegas, and more. However, the current crisis pushed El Al into restructuring overdrive, and the airline is now doing whatever it can to survive. In September, the airline received a new owner in 27-year-old Eli Rozenberg.
El Al’s Boeing 787-9
The Boeing 787-9 is one of the backbones of El Al’s fleet. With 12 in service, the airline has used the 787s to replace Boeing 747s and modernize its fleet. Onboard, the planes have room for 271 passengers. There are 32 in lie-flat business class, room for 35 in premium economy, and 204 in coach.
Before the 787-9, El Al flew a Boeing 777-200ER on the route. However, the 777s offer a more outdated configuration onboard, making it less of a competitive advantage on the route.
Are you planning on flying El Al nonstop from Miami to Israel? Let us know in the comments!