sky-high flight costs and dear Eilat holidays go away few o

“We didn’t want to disappoint the children, especially our son who had been waiting for this,” she stated. “Once we understood the restrictions were tightening, we started looking for any alternative.”

Instead of flying immediately, the household explored choices by way of Taba in Egypt or Aqaba in Jordan, considerably growing each the price and complexity of the journey. Some routes included a number of stops by way of Larnaca, Europe and onward to Asia, with costs reaching almost $4,000 per passenger.

Other vacationers described related challenges. Dan and Gili stated their flight to Budapest was canceled, prompting them to e-book a costlier various that includes touring by automotive from Haifa to Eilat, crossing into Taba and flying from there.

“It sounds extreme, but we’re not canceling the vacation,” they stated.

The disruptions come as tighter limitations at Ben Gurion Airport cut back obtainable flights, creating excessive demand for remaining routes and sharp worth will increase.

Flights to long-haul locations resembling Thailand now price round 12,000 shekels ($3,200) or extra, usually requiring connections by way of Aqaba or Larnaca. Even shorter routes to Europe by way of Jordan have climbed to about 2,500 shekels ($670) per particular person.

Limited flights nonetheless departing from Ben Gurion are additionally considerably costlier. A ticket to Bangkok with a cease in Aqaba is priced at about $3,848 in financial system class, whereas enterprise class fares can attain $6,500.

Many vacationers are opting to depart overland by way of border crossings in Taba or Aqaba, including an estimated $200 to $300 per particular person in charges and transportation, together with considerably longer journey instances that may stretch to a full day.