US Airways to Begin Nonstop Service from Philadelphia to Israel

US Airways to Begin Nonstop Service from Philadelphia to Israel

Israel Ministry of Tourism Expects New Flight Option to Bolster U.S. and Israeli Tourism

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 2 /Christian Newswire/ -- Starting in July 2009, US Airways will make history when the airline begins the only nonstop service between Philadelphia and Israel.

US Airways will begin the new daily, year-round service between Philadelphia and Tel Aviv on July 2, 2009. Teams from the Israel Ministry of Tourism and US Airways drafted a cooperation strategy for 2008- 2009 at US Airways headquarters in Tempe, Arizona, on Aug. 21.

"We are delighted by US Airways' decision to begin flying nonstop flights from Philadelphia to Israel," said Consul Rami Levi, Special Emissary to the U.S. Evangelical Communities and the Israel Ministry of Tourism's Director of the U.S. Western Region. "With approximately 3,500 flights per day and service in more than 230 communities, the addition of US Airways as a carrier to Israel will make it easier than ever for Christians in cities across the United States to travel to Israel and experience the Holy Land in person."

The Israel Ministry of Tourism expects that the new service will significantly add to the already record number of American tourists visiting Israel. In 2007, a record-breaking 500,000-plus Americans visited Israel, with Christians accounting for nearly a third of those visitors. With numbers from the first two quarters of 2008 again showing increases, IMOT projects that 2008 will set a new benchmark for American tourism to Israel.

The new flight strategy will also have a direct impact on the economies of both nations as US Airways is the fifth largest domestic airline, International studies have estimated that one daily trans-Atlantic flight on a wide body jet contributes hundreds of millions of dollars into a local economy and sustains thousands of jobs.

About the Israel Ministry of Tourism (www.goisrael.com)
With its central office in Jerusalem, Israel, the Israel Ministry of Tourism leads the State of Israel's efforts at maintaining a strong tourism industry. The Ministry of Tourism promotes tourism to Israel via its Israel Government Tourist Offices in Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

6380 Wilshire Boulevard · Suite 1718 · Los Angeles, CA 90048 · TEL: 323-658-7463 · FAX: 323-658-6543 www.goisrael.com

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