Israel’s second-largest airline Israir is offering to sell roundtrip tickets from Tel Aviv to Bahrain for $9.00 including a carry-on. The catch is the sale is only available to newly vaccinated customers and is only available for 28 hours on the Israir website from Thursday, December 16th. The regular roundtrip fare is $200, making the $9.00 quite a saving.
The airline wants to encourage Israeli citizens to get vaccinated while at the same time promoting its new route to Bahrain. To be eligible for the discounted fare, it does not matter if passengers are getting their first, second, or third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. On Monday, the Government of Israel approved the vaccination of children over the age of five.
What is the COVID-19 situation in Israel right now?
Last December, Israel led the world in how fast it was vaccinating its citizens. Yet, now it appears to be lagging, with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett saying not enough people were fully vaccinated. Based on the Israeli Health Ministry figures of the country’s eight million citizens, only between 60% and 65% are fully vaccinated. When referring to being fully vaccinated, this means those who have received three doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and not just two.
Looking at the situation from the opposite angle, 40% to 45% of the population is not fully protected. Scientists fear that the new Omicron variant could infect double-vaccinated people and are encouraging them to get a booster shot.
The sale is limited to 1,000 seats
Israir says that it cut-price Tel Aviv to Bahrain tickets are limited to 1,000 seats and that the sale begins on Thursday, December 16 at 08:00 and finishes on Friday, December 17 at noon. Israir says it will stop the sale early if all 1,000 seats sell out before Friday’s deadline.
The tickets are eligible for Israir flights to and from Bahrain between January 24, 2022, and March 31, 2022. The twice-weekly charter flights will operate on a Monday and Friday using an Airbus A320-200 aircraft with the following times:
- The Flight to Bahrain will depart Ben Gurion Airport (TLV) at 09:40 and arrive at Bahrain International Airport BAH) at 13:20.
- The flight to Tel Aviv will depart Bahrain International Airport BAH) at 13:40 and arrive at Ben Gurion Airport (TLV) at 15:40.
When speaking about the new Bahrain flights and the seat sale, Israir’s VP of Marketing and Sales Halo Hermolin Ronen said the following to Israeli news site IAS:
“We believe that the only way we can overcome the epidemic is through vaccines, and studies from around the world prove it. As well as the morbidity in Bahrain which is one of the lowest in the world since most of the inhabitants are vaccinated there in the booster dose. There is no doubt that Bahrain is a new and very intriguing destination for the Israeli public.”
Why visit Bahrain?
Located in the Persian Gulf, the island nation of Bahrain is one of the most modern countries in the Arab world. Bahrain has a history dating back thousands of years, offering rich cultural highlights alongside fantastic food. Its capital Manama is considered a modern western city with luxurious hotels and air-conditioned shopping malls. Over five million people visit Bahrain each year and with its winter sunshine is sure to be a hit with Israeli vacationers.
What do you think about Israirs $9.00 seat sale and the new route to Bahrain? Please tell us your thoughts in the comments.
