Pricing Error Causes Buying Frenzy to Israel

Ever dreamed of visiting Israel but found the $1,300 round-trip ticket prices out of your range? Well, a pricing snafu on Monday at an airline with flights to Israel gave thousands of potential travelers a reason to book a flight. And book fast!

Round-trip tickets between New York and Israel on El Al Airlines plunged to around $400, prompting a buying frenzy of customers eager to take advantage of what was the lowest price they’ve seen for the flight since the 1970s.

But it was an error, and an unnamed outside contractor El Al uses to list fares on travel websites was responsible for the error, according to Sheryl Stein, a spokeswoman for the airline.

Residents of Bed-Stuy and Crown Heights wasted no time in buying their tickets and making last-minute travel plans. In fact, as many as 5,000 passengers booked flights across the country in just a three-hour window, before the error was caught and corrected, reported The Associated Press.

Yaacov Behrman, a Crown Heights political activist, was one of the lucky ones who was able to quickly snag a ticket before the airline got hip. He said a friend, who saw the alert on Twitter, sent him a chat message on Monday at about 12:00 p.m.

Behrman bought a flight for the end of October for $420, and then posted it on his Facebook page with the dates of his trip. Before he knew it, three of his friends also decided to join him.

“We are traveling together,” said Behrman. He said in total, about 20 people will be traveling on the same trip from his synagogue.

“But I know approximately 60 people from Crown Heights that bought tickets, and I'm sure there are many more. 

“I am excited that I have this opportunity to visit Israel once again. I plan on spending a few days in the beautiful settlement of Bat Ayin. It is always inspirational to visit our friends who live in Bat Ayin unafraid of the security concerns,” he said.