Same destination – a gap of hundreds of dollars: how to save on holiday flights

Many Israelis are already starting to book their Rosh Hashanah vacations, but a price check shows that even for the same destination and dates, costs can vary significantly. Choosing one airline over another can save a family tens or even hundreds of dollars. A check conducted by C14 on Tuesday revealed gaps of tens of percent for identical routes.

The analysis, covering flights between September 10 and 14, shows that the most prominent price gaps are recorded on the route to Crete. While El Al offers the lowest price at $776, Israir is slightly more expensive at $793, and Arkia offers the same flight for $1,096. This represents a gap of $320, or more than 40% between the cheapest and most expensive options. For a family of four, this translates to an additional cost of over $1,200.

Significant gaps were also recorded on flights to Budapest. El Al and Israir offer almost identical prices—$590 and $594 respectively—while the ticket price at Arkia stands at $733, which is about 24% higher than the cheapest option.

In Tbilisi, on the other hand, Israir offers the lowest price at $406. El Al charges $469, while Arkia charges $557. This means the price gap between the cheapest and most expensive offer reaches approximately 37%.

These data illustrate that even during peak periods, when flight prices are high, there is still room for comparison. For a single passenger, this can mean savings of tens or hundreds of dollars, but for families, the gaps can amount to thousands of shekels simply by choosing a different airline.

Alongside the price, it is of course worth considering what the ticket includes—such as luggage, the option to change or cancel, departure and arrival times, and the airport of operation. Sometimes a higher price includes services that passengers would have added anyway, but in many cases, it is simply a matter of pricing differences between the companies.