Simchas Torah War - Flights Discussion Thread

[Sammy82]

Search google flights and filter airlines to Virgin to see the next available flight.

Good idea. May 1st.
Is Virgin still rebooking on other airlines? Last week I booked tix for my family for pesach (with the miles deal that was posted on DDMS 2 weeks ago). What's the best way to have them put us on another airline?

[shapsam]

DP:
AA officially rebooks on LY through Europe, HUCAd many times and turns out they can only do it on LY flights on which AA sells cash fares on. LHR or MAD won't work, ended up doing through ATH.

[Sammy82]

DP:
AA officially rebooks on LY through Europe, HUCAd many times and turns out they can only do it on LY flights on which AA sells cash fares on. LHR or MAD won't work, ended up doing through ATH.

Is this being directed/in response to my post? Sorry, too many acronyms. What's DP? And AA? I would think American Airline but I'm talking about Virgin Atlantic. Could you clarify? Thx

[Sammy82]

Good idea. May 1st.
Is Virgin still rebooking on other airlines? Last week I booked tix for my family for pesach (with the miles deal that was posted on DDMS 2 weeks ago). What's the best way to have them put us on another airline?

So I spoke to a Virgin Atlantic rep last night. After putting me on hold, he said that officially they are still scheduled to fly to TLV on 3/31 but they have pulled all sales to TLV until 5/1 while they reassess. He said it's very possible that they will end up canceling April (pesach) flights). I asked him about rebooking on another airline and he responded that they do have a rebooking agreement with ElAl but can't do it until my flights are officially canceled. Do you think it will make a difference that my tickets we bought with miles? Hopefully not. My other concern is that it will be hard for them to put my family of 8 on an Elal flight right before and after pesach. I imagine those flights are already quite full. I guess we'll see.
If they don't/can't rebook me, will they at least offer a 1-year voucher (which could be used for sukkos)? I really don't have any use for them to refund the mile back into my Virgin Atlantic miles account. And I'm not sure when the next time they will have such a good deal (34k miles round trip)

[SHL]

DP:
AA officially rebooks on LY through Europe, HUCAd many times and turns out they can only do it on LY flights on which AA sells cash fares on. LHR or MAD won't work, ended up doing through ATH.

Mxp too

[tavster]

[shapsam]

Is this being directed/in response to my post? Sorry, too many acronyms. What's DP? And AA? I would think American Airline but I'm talking about Virgin Atlantic. Could you clarify? Thx

It was not in response to your post. I don't have experience with Virgin, sorry.

DP= Data Point
AA= American Airlines
LY= Elal

[shapsam]

Is there demand for a 4.5 hour flight with a stopover in the middle? Or they won't disclose it properly and people will book not knowing about the stop.

[shapsam]

https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-wizz-air-to-resume-israel-flights-in-march-1001468074#:~:text=Low%2Dcost%20carrier%20Wizz%20Air,weekly%20flights%20to%20each%20destination.

Low-cost carrier Wizz Air has announced the resumption of flights to Israel from March. The company said that it will; fly between Tel Aviv and six destinations: London, Rome, Cracow, Budapest, Bucharest and Sofia. There will be three weekly flights to each destination.

Will they fly without any stops?

[Sammy82]

It was not in response to your post. I don't have experience with Virgin, sorry.

DP= Data Point
AA= American Airlines
LY= Elal

Got it. Be thx

[bp27]

This just reminds all of us, that so much of this is not related to insurance, war zone, etc. Rather due to lack of demand. If BA, who would previously operate two full 787s twice a day, is content with a A320/A321 four times a week, it just shows how much demand is truly down at this point.

[yg99]

How do they measure demand if you can't book?

[tavster]

This just reminds all of us, that so much of this is not related to insurance, war zone, etc. Rather due to lack of demand. If BA, who would previously operate two full 787s twice a day, is content with a A320/A321 four times a week, it just shows how much demand is truly down at this point.

Ben Gurion incoming pax were down 80% in January vs Jan 2023

[yochai]

This just reminds all of us, that so much of this is not related to insurance, war zone, etc. Rather due to lack of demand. If BA, who would previously operate two full 787s twice a day, is content with a A320/A321 four times a week, it just shows how much demand is truly down at this point.

I agree demand has dropped, but if UA would figure out how to fly to TLV, they’d be sold out (as LY is on most dates EC-US).
Maybe there’s no demand for a stopover route when people can fly LY directl.

[IloveIsrael]

So I spoke to a Virgin Atlantic rep last night. After putting me on hold, he said that officially they are still scheduled to fly to TLV on 3/31 but they have pulled all sales to TLV until 5/1 while they reassess. He said it's very possible that they will end up canceling April (pesach) flights). I asked him about rebooking on another airline and he responded that they do have a rebooking agreement with ElAl but can't do it until my flights are officially canceled. Do you think it will make a difference that my tickets we bought with miles? Hopefully not. My other concern is that it will be hard for them to put my family of 8 on an Elal flight right before and after pesach. I imagine those flights are already quite full. I guess we'll see.
If they don't/can't rebook me, will they at least offer a 1-year voucher (which could be used for sukkos)? I really don't have any use for them to refund the mile back into my Virgin Atlantic miles account. And I'm not sure when the next time they will have such a good deal (34k miles round trip)

I am in the same boat. I hope they will be able to rebook my family of 5 when they cancel the flights.

[bp27]

I agree demand has dropped, but if UA would figure out how to fly to TLV, they’d be sold out (as LY is on most dates EC-US).
Maybe there’s no demand for a stopover route when people can fly LY directl.

@yochai that is exactly my point. Of course UA would be sold out, as the bulk of the traffic is coming from the East Coast. From people like us who are following this board. But most tourists are not flying (nor are they following this board.)

(BTW, BA doesn't fly to TLV to be a "stopover" flight for those of us in the US. There are actually people who travel to and from the UK.... And there is demand for a stopover route at ElAl's current pricing.)

[yochai]

@yochai that is exactly my point. Of course UA would be sold out, as the bulk of the traffic is coming from the East Coast. From people like us who are following this board. But most tourists are not flying (nor are they following this board.)

(BTW, BA doesn't fly to TLV to be a "stopover" flight for those of us in the US. There are actually people who travel to and from the UK.... And there is demand for a stopover route at ElAl's current pricing.)

What I meant by “stopover” was their proposed Cyprus stopover. That’ll obviously have less demand than LY.
UK should also have enough “people like us” wanting to fly to Israel.
I think we all agree that a random tourist may be looking into other options, but there is enough of a customer base that are particularly intrested in Israel. Just proves that the issue IS primarily security/crew/insurance.

[yochai]

https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-wizz-air-to-resume-israel-flights-in-march-1001468074#:~:text=Low%2Dcost%20carrier%20Wizz%20Air,weekly%20flights%20to%20each%20destination.
Will they fly without any stops?

The LCCs are the easiest to get back in, since their staff never stayed overnight. They typically do round-trip shifts with little ground time.

[efflpetzel]

This just reminds all of us, that so much of this is not related to insurance, war zone, etc. Rather due to lack of demand. If BA, who would previously operate two full 787s twice a day, is content with a A320/A321 four times a week, it just shows how much demand is truly down at this point.

nonsense

El AL from London is full every flight

[ShimonFly]

Got an email for my BA booking:

Dear Customer,

You’ve been sent an email notifying you of a flight cancellation, because we’re making some operational changes to our schedule on our Tel Aviv route. We wanted to let you know that these flights will now operate on a short-haul aircraft. This is a commercial decision and aligns these flights with other similar-length flights we operate. We’ll keep this decision under review. As part of our short-haul network, customers travelling in our Euro Traveller (Economy) cabin will be offered a light bite, snacks, and a bar service. There will be no change to your baggage allowance, but the cabin will not include an inflight entertainment system. You can find out more about what else this cabin offers on our website at https://www.britishairways.com/content/information/travel-classes/euro-traveller. We will temporarily need to make a short operational stop in Larnaca, Cyprus (LCA) on the London Heathrow (LHR) to Tel Aviv (TLV) flight, to allow us to change crew. This will add 45 minutes to your scheduled flight duration, but there will be no requirement for you to disembark the aircraft. This currently applies to flights taken up to and including 31 May 2024, and will be kept under review. We’re sorry for any inconvenience caused. The flight from Tel Aviv (TLV) to London Heathrow (LHR) will operate without an operational stop. As a result of these changes, we have emailed you to ask you to log in to Manage My Booking to view your available re-booking options. Under the Israeli Aviation Services Law (Compensation and Assistance for Flight Cancellation or Change of Conditions) 5772-2012 (ASL), we will offer you a full refund if you no longer wish to travel. Further information on your rights including in the event of flight cancellation can be found at www.ba.com/helpme and on our legal page. You can view your flight options at www.ba.com/mmb, or contact us via the following link in case you wish to discuss your options. We look forward to welcoming you on board your next flight with British Airways. Kind Regards, British Airways