Hi all,

El Al has started auctioning off seats on low-volume flights/dates with some extremely reasonable prices.

This new service was touted in one of their emails or app updates a few days ago, albeit to very little fanfare.

In terms of payment, it's quite similar to bidding for a class upgrade: you submit credit card details, and in the event of a win you get charged.

However, these auctions are eBay-style (you know where you stand at any given moment and the bids are public).

I decided to take the plunge and scored 2 tickets to Rome in mid-December for only $198 each. Had I booked them through the regular method, they would've cost $296 each. A quick glance at competing airlines' prices for the same dates put the lowest fare at $283 via AlItalia. Not bad at all!

The tickets booked into the lowest possible fare bucket and point accrual (obviously).

All in all, everything worked great - check it out. They also have fares to long-hauls like Toronto and Bangkok for about $600.