The United States and Israel today signed a new air transport agreement that provides a novel arrangement on air fares and prospects for much greater travel between the two countries. The signing at the State Department by Deputy Secretary of State Warren Christopher and Israeli Ambassador Simcha Dinitz provides for increased access to the United States for Israel’s El Al Airline and unrestricted opportunities for American airlines and El Al to operate charter flights at competitive air fares.
The State Department said: “Under the new agreement, unlimited rights for charter flights would be available subject only to conformity with the charter rules of the country in which they originate. Israel would immediately get two new landing points of its choosing for scheduled services in the United States in addition to New York.
“It would get another two points after one year when a new innovative provision on scheduled air fares and charter prices goes into effect, requiring the agreement of both countries before a tariff may be disapproved. This arrangement on tariffs is the first of its kind and provides the opportunity for significantly lower air fares between the United States and Israel.”
Israel has not yet announced its new points in the United States but Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago and Boston appear to be the favored points.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
