Two years of suspensions shuffled this market completely, and the dust is still settling. As of this week - September 2026 - five airlines fly or are about to fly nonstop between the US and Tel Aviv. Here is who they are, and more importantly, which points actually get you on each one.
For points travelers, only three nonstops matter: El Al (book through Qantas), United (book with Chase or Bilt points), and Delta (book through Flying Blue, never SkyMiles). Israir and Arkia are cash plays - often the cheapest seats on the route, but no award program touches them.
The five airlines, one by one
El Al - the default. The most US gateways of any carrier on the route (New York JFK and Newark among them - check elal.com for the current gateway list, which shifts with demand). Israeli crews, kosher meals as standard, Shabbos-aware scheduling, and the highest cash fares on the route - round trips have been running around $2,000-2,700 this month. Points path: Qantas at fixed chart prices, or Flying Blue for some seats. Matmid, El Al’s own program, takes no US card transfers since January 1, 2021.
Delta - back as of September 6, 2026. Daily JFK-Tel Aviv on an A330-900neo, after the latest suspension. A fair warning on both US carriers: these resumptions are days old as we publish, and award-space patterns may still be settling. Good product, terrible own-program award pricing - dynamic SkyMiles rates on this route routinely run several times what the seat should cost. The fix: book Delta metal through Flying Blue when space shows, with points from any bank.
United - back as of September 8, 2026. Newark-Tel Aviv nonstop. The points sweet spot: saver-level awards (80,000 miles in business) that show only to United credit card holders and elites - the card trick is on the business-class page. Chase and Bilt are the only banks that transfer in.
Israir - launches September 17, 2026. Israel’s low-cost carrier starts JFK-Tel Aviv three times a week on an A330, ramping to daily by the end of October. Launch advertising quoted one-way fares from around $800-950; our own live fare search this week found November round trips at $1,453. No award program, no frills - but that fare level resets what “cheap cash ticket” means on this route. Worth comparing against the points math every single trip.
Arkia - the quiet third Israeli carrier. Flying New York-Tel Aviv with one-way fares around $1,099. Same story as Israir: cash only, no meaningful points path.
American - not flying. Suspended through March 27, 2027. Ignore the old AAdvantage guides until then.
Cash or points? The honest decision
Run this check every trip: take the cash fare on Israir, Arkia, or the legacy carriers, and compare it against the award price times your cents-per-point value. When Israir sells an $800-950 one-way and El Al wants $2,000+ for the same week, the award math usually wins on El Al and loses on Israir. Points are for closing the gap on expensive seats, not for avoiding cheap ones.
A middle path for the cash airlines: Capital One miles “erase” travel purchases at 1 cent each, so an $800 Israir fare costs 80,000 Capital One miles with zero award-hunting. Not the highest-value use of points - but at last-minute prices it can be the right one.
For the full strategy per program, see book El Al with points and the transfer cheat sheet.
Ranked: the best cards for nonstop TLV awards
- Amex Gold - transfers to Qantas (El Al) and Flying Blue (Delta metal). Apply now
- Chase Sapphire Preferred - the only path (with Bilt) to United’s nonstop saver space. Apply now
- Capital One Venture X - erase cheap Israir/Arkia cash fares, or transfer to Qantas and Flying Blue. Apply now
Route statuses verified September 9, 2026 via Delta News Hub, Globes, Times of Israel, and JNS (Delta resumed Sept 6, United Sept 8, Israir launches Sept 17, American suspended through March 2027). Fare levels from this week’s reporting and our own live fare searches. This page is re-dated whenever the market moves.