Delta Air Lines and United Airlines are resuming service to Israel, ending a six-month period where El Al and Arkia controlled nonstop US routes.
Delta will restart daily New York-JFK service this Sunday. United Airlines plans to resume its Newark flights two days later.
The return of major US carriers will increase seat capacity and reintroduce competition. This shift is expected to lower airfares that remained high during the period of limited competition.
El Al continues to lead current consumer searches and bookings for Tel Aviv-New York routes. Many passengers still favor Israeli carriers due to concerns regarding the reliability of foreign airlines during regional instability.