88% of Israelis travelling abroad believe that Turkey is now dangerous for Israeli tourists, according to a survey by El Al Israel Airlines Ltd. (TASE: ELAL) disclosed by “IDF Radio" (Galei Zahal) today. The survey also found that 55% of Israelis who have spent vacations in Turkey in the pastdo not intend to return again this year. Preferred alternative destinations are Cyprus, Greece, and Bulgaria.
El Al CEO Haim Romano told “IDF Radio", "We deeply regret the results of the survey. We've returned to Antalya big time. It's unpleasant to live in such a climate in a country to which we carry 700,000 Israelis. I hope that this attitude will dissipate and Israelis will feel very comfortable in Turkey and that El Al can fly them there."
Asked whether El Al is profitable, Romano replied, "El Al is an airline that has reported quite handsome profits in some recent years, while in other years it has coped with changes that regrettably resulted in no profits. However, it is a very sound company, one of the soundest airlines in the global aviation industry."
Romano added, "We lowered fares to levels not seen since 2004 and 2005. We're offering $555 fares to New York, a fare that the Israeli public hasn’t seen in a long time, thanks to the drop in the price of fuel. When it's possible to lower fares, we do it, and the Israeli customer benefits.
"We've dramatically improved everything in the planes' interiors. We suffer from a deeply held public stigma that I believe is invalid, which we're trying to change."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on February 4, 2009
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