Plasarna Beach in Crete (Photo: SHUTTERSTOCK) The limited number of airlines flying to Israel makes the task of vacationing abroad very expensive, sometimes even impossible. Just for this reason, and if you still haven't booked a flight for Sukkot or Simchat Torah, we've gathered the prices from Israeli and foreign airlines flying to Israel.
While the weather in Greece is starting to cool down, in Cyprus the sun is still shining most of the time and the temperatures are great - even for the sea. The prices in the article are for round-trip flights.
Arkia | 20.10-22.10, $361
Arkia | 22.10-25.10, $538
Israir | 19.10-22.10, $402
Israir | 19.10-28.10, $560
El Al | No spots available
Cyprus Airways | 22.10-25.10, $449
Cyprus Airways | 21.10-28.10, $349
TUS | 19.10-23.10, $435
TUS | 21.10-23.10, $401
The offers from all airlines for flights to Larnaca are at a particularly high average price, more than $400. But these are holiday prices at the last minute and in the absence of greater competition on the route, the prices are soaring. We found the cheapest flights though for only two to two-and-a-half days in total with Cyprus Airways and Arkia.
The capital of Greece continues to be a popular (and quite crowded) destination even at the end of October, most of the restaurants and entertainment venues are open and the weather is perfect for sightseeing. And the prices - very high.
Arkia | 20.10-25.10, $615
Arkia | 22.10-25.10, $694
Israir | 21.10-1.11, $471 (Other flights are full)
El Al | No spots available
TUS | No spots available
Almost no spots can be found for Athens at the last minute, and those we found are very expensive. The cheapest flight we found is one where you'll have to return only after 12 days in Athens, because only on that one are spots available - and that's an Israir flight.
The island of islands, the large and popular one, is still full of tourists and as we reported this week the season is also extending in Crete and the restaurants and businesses are open.
Arkia | 19.10-22.10, $606 (Heraklion)
Arkia | 21.10-28.10, $537 (Heraklion)
TUS | No spots available (Heraklion)
Israir | No spots available (Chania)
El Al (Sun D'Or) | No spots available (Sitia)
It turns out that the more we look in other destinations, the fewer spots there are. We didn't find spots on Israir flights to Chania, TUS to Heraklion and Sun D'Or to Sitia, so we're left with Arkia flights for more than $500 for a round-trip flight, even without a carry-on. Bottom line, for those who haven't booked a flight to Crete yet, it might be better to wait for the next holiday - or, next time, not to remember at the last minute.