ElAl heads to San Francisco, Arkia takes aim at Tokyo

ElAl will resume nonstop flights between Tel Aviv and San Francisco on Oct. 25 after a six-and-a-half-year hiatus. The airline will offer three weekly flights, with round-trip economy fares starting at $1,199. The move comes as United Airlines remains absent from the route. ElAl says strong demand from business travelers and the large Israeli community in Northern California drove the decision. The carrier will operate 45 weekly nonstop US flights this winter, serving six American cities.

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Israeli carrier Arkia will launch twice-weekly nonstop flights to Tokyo beginning Oct. 25, ending ElAl’s monopoly on the route. One-way fares will start at $750. The airline said growing demand for Far East travel helped spur the expansion. Arkia recently launched service to Vietnam and is also flying nonstop between Tel Aviv and New York. CEO Oz Berlowitz called Japan the airline’s next logical destination after strong performance on its existing long-haul routes.