Flights to Israel get cheaper for couples

Couples flying to Israel this winter from New York or Los Angeles may save by booking directly with El Al. It’s a slightly usual offer, so read closely. Buy a ticket on El Al’s website for one person at the going rate, and you’ll qualify to purchase a companion ticket at a lower price.

Is this a deal? I went to El Al’s site and found a nonstop round-trip flight out of JFK for $1,027 departing on a Saturday in mid-January. (For comparison, that fare was competitive, being within about $30 of what was being offered by other airlines for the same itinerary via Kayak.) If I had called El Al at 800/223-6700, I could have bought that ticket at that price and then requested a second ticket for a companion at a lower, set fare of $831 (plus taxes and fees of about $84). The offer is for couples traveling together between January 1 and March 31, 2009.

The roundtrip companion fare on a nonstop EL AL flight departing from LA during the same time period is $1,171 (plus taxes and fees).

If you simply one to book a single ticket, round-trip fares have dropped on El Al from several cities, starting at $971 (plus taxes and fees) from Boston, Chicago, Miami, Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C.