Thanks SunLover- I guess I'm not all too familiar with mileage runs- would love to learn more if you have the time (or I can just surf the forums- I'm sure there's much talk about it)... with that said, Cont. offers the cheapest flights to Israel that are non-stop (and others that have stops are only a difference of $200)... so it's tough- figuring out what to do.
ps- what's *A? I thought I knew a lot about airlines, etc. being on here makes me think not! :-)
thanks!