joshwex90

The Travel Adviser: For El Al, mission accomplished - Jerusalem Post

Basically says that all is good for LY and that it's nice to claim they raised their fares in response to Protective Edge

ELY001

I do not agree with the notion that the recent conflict in Gaza and the 2 day FAA ban on flights to/from Israel will somehow translate into an opening for EL AL to acquire a long or even medium term market benefit against its foreign based competition. For starters, flying is a commodity and as such people look for the lowest price. Would the vast majority of pax pay extra in the long run to fly EL AL out of a sense of nationalism and because EL AL kept flying to/from Israel during the short 2 day FAA ban? I think not.

The fact remains that pax consider other factors such as price, service, hard/soft products, frequent flyer program benefits, route network, and schedules above nationalistic and patriotic considerations when choosing a carrier. These are all things that EL AL severely lacks behind the competition except, perhaps, the soft product.

Consequently, EL AL can no longer rely on nationalistic and religious sentiment to maintain profitability or market dominance.