JFK - TLV (Israel) RT $337 a/i Nov-Feb

Quote from gabe23111 : I agree with most of what you said. An excellent place to visit (I've been there several times). As far as your 2 points "out of the ordinary"... Can you blame Israel for being a little extra cautious when most of the people surrounding the tiny country wants to wipe them off the map?

Of course, I didn't mean to bring them up as annoyances but just something to be aware of.

Does anyone remember the deal a few months ago for 80,000 miles for a $5 purchase that was a mistake??? They DID NOT honor that one!!

I can't remember what airline ( possibly american? ) but it just shows you the difference between countries. I'm not saying Israel is better than the US in anyway but we are trying to squeeze every last dime out of the people in our own country and they're honoring it for people who live across the ocean.

Israel does have the birthright trip which is pretty awesome... For people who don't know - it's basically a free trip to Israel for jewish kids under 26 to experience the homeland ( granted with underlying bs but it's kind of like that free hotel stay for looking at a timeshare except way better.)

Quote from Jessiedee : Does anyone remember the deal a few months ago for 80,000 miles for a $5 purchase that was a mistake??? They DID NOT honor that one!! I can't remember what airline ( possibly american? ) but it just shows you the difference between countries. I'm not saying Israel is better than the US in anyway but we are trying to squeeze every last dime out of the people in our own country and they're honoring it for people who live across the ocean. Israel does have the birthright trip which is pretty awesome... For people who don't know - it's basically a free trip to Israel for jewish kids under 26 to experience the homeland ( granted with underlying bs but it's kind of like that free hotel stay for looking at a timeshare except way better.)

Birthright is a cool trip, I staffed a few when I was younger. It is for Jewish kids 18 to 26 who have never been to Israel before and is funded by the Israeli government and some philanthropists.

I really like Israel but I can tell you as someone who has been there many times and lived there for a five years, customer service overall is pretty bad. It is getting better but it is still WAY behind American customer service. The decision to honor the deal likely came from their American office or an American in Israel, or at the very least an Israeli who has spent time in the US.

Quote from karlpfaff : I liked the end of that article where they wondered whether it's ethical to take advantage of El Al's mistake. It managed to make me feel guilty for a minute (and then I went back to searching SD for price mistakes )...

A Jew not feeling good about getting a cheap deal. Seriously???

Quote from Blade2000 : A Jew not feeling good about getting a cheap deal. Seriously???

Are YOU Serious? Let's leave the rascism out of the conversation. This isn't a place for bigots. Take the hate talk elsewhere please.

Quote from barryblogs : Are YOU Serious? Let's leave the rascism out of the conversation. This isn't a place for bigots. Take the hate talk elsewhere please.

It ws a joke, calm down. It's called making fun of stereotypes which most comedians use all the time. If Larry David or Richard Belzer said it you'd be laughing.

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/...e-bargain/

Quote from dragonlord : This would be hyper-slick if you could fly from Tel Aviv to any neighboring country relatively easy. I'm pretty happy of grabbing tickets to Israel for Nov, but having been to Syria, Lebanon, and going to Jordan this month; i bet most SD'ers would jump on this Israel deal if they had the chance to go to the region on the cheap. Flights to lebanon only are around $1,600 right now from JFK Looking forward to my Tel Aviv trip!

You are lucky for having been to Lebanon already. From what I understand, once you get an Israel passport stamp, you are not allowed to go to Lebanon--they will turn you away...perhaps even blacklist you. I would love to go to Beirut but I guess I'll have to wait until my passport is nice and clean.

Quote from derubermensch : You are lucky for having been to Lebanon already. From what I understand, once you get an Israel passport stamp, you are not allowed to go to Lebanon--they will turn you away...perhaps even blacklist you. I would love to go to Beirut but I guess I'll have to wait until my passport is nice and clean.

If you ask at Israeli border control they can stamp a piece of paper with the visa instead of your passport. You just have to be very very careful you don't lose the paper. If you travel to Israel a lot you can file paperwork with the State Department to get a 2nd passport. It's not easy and most of the time from what I understand it helps to have a business vouch for you needing it.

Quote from zedster : If you ask at Israeli border control they can stamp a piece of paper with the visa instead of your passport. You just have to be very very careful you don't lose the paper. If you travel to Israel a lot you can file paperwork with the State Department to get a 2nd passport. It's not easy and most of the time from what I understand it helps to have a business vouch for you needing it.

So at the airport, they can just stamp a piece of paper both in and out (would have to fly somewhere else to get to Beirut)? First time going there so I doubt they will give me a second passport and especially because it's not for business.

Thanks for the info, I might have to cut my stay in Tbilisi a little short if I can go to Lebanon!

Quote from derubermensch : You are lucky for having been to Lebanon already. From what I understand, once you get an Israel passport stamp, you are not allowed to go to Lebanon--they will turn you away...perhaps even blacklist you. I would love to go to Beirut but I guess I'll have to wait until my passport is nice and clean.

I heard about this - i also heard from israeli friends that you can ask to have the stamp in a separate sheet of paper, for precisely this reason.

Either way, i have 3 nationalities, and you can bet i won't be using the passport i used to go into Syria to go into Israel

On the downside, my gf is Lebanese-American (recently naturalized after 5yrs) declined to go because of the risk of never being allowed back to see her parents

Quote from derubermensch : So at the airport, they can just stamp a piece of paper both in and out (would have to fly somewhere else to get to Beirut)? First time going there so I doubt they will give me a second passport and especially because it's not for business. Thanks for the info, I might have to cut my stay in Tbilisi a little short if I can go to Lebanon!

if you are able to go, DEF go south of beirut. Beirut proper is nice but i have a feeling its going to be as Tel Aviv, big city, big traffic, beautiful girls, but alas, still just a city. However, once you get to Saida / Sur (Tyr / Sidon in english) you will be awed. Its soo off the beaten path for most tourists -even lebanese- that no one takes advantage of the amazing ruins / UNESCO sites there....completely tourist-free. I dont even think most lebanese or travel guides even know they are there!

If you can imagine the freedom and excitement to climb to the edge of one of the spikes in the crown the Statue of Liberty ...that's exactly how it will be. ZERO tourists, ZERO restrictions, and MILLIONS of artifacts and sites that you can explore without someone telling you 'do not touch'

I would love to find that place(s) in Israel, but given development and tourism, its not likely.