United Airlines announced Thursday that it will restart flights between Tel Aviv and Washington, DC, as well as Chicago beginning November 1, 2025, using Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft.
From Chicago, the carrier will operate four weekly round-trip flights, while Washington will see three weekly flights, restoring the same schedule that was in place before service was suspended on October 7, 2023. Tickets go on sale tonight.
Patrick Quayle, a senior executive at United, said the resumption of service underscores the airline's long-standing commitment to Tel Aviv.
The fate of the San Francisco–Tel Aviv route, which previously had daily Boeing 777 flights until October 7, remains unclear.
United is also expanding its kosher meal options, adding fresh kosher meals on long-haul flights from Chicago and considering introducing kosher food at its Polaris lounge at O'Hare International Airport, a potential added draw for the route.
Schedules are as follows:
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Chicago (ORD) – Tel Aviv: Service resumes November 1, operating Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays on a Boeing 787-8 as United Flight 140. Departure from Chicago at 9:40 p.m., arriving in Tel Aviv at 4:05 p.m. the following day.
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Tel Aviv – Chicago: Service resumes November 3, operating the same days as United Flight 141. Departure from Tel Aviv at 12:20 a.m., arriving in Chicago at 5:10 a.m. the same day.
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Washington, DC (IAD) – Tel Aviv: Service resumes November 2, operating Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays on a Boeing 787-8 as United Flight 72. Departure from Washington at 10:40 p.m., arriving in Tel Aviv at 4:30 p.m. the following day.
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Tel Aviv – Washington, DC: Service resumes November 5, operating the same days as United Flight 73. Departure from Tel Aviv at 12:20 a.m., arriving in Washington at 5:55 a.m. the same day.
United has scheduled these flights in the evening, a time most passengers prefer for travel to and from the Middle East. By contrast, Delta's only current offering is a midday flight from New York's JFK to Tel Aviv with a morning return from Tel Aviv.
Together with its two daily flights from Newark operated by Boeing 787-10s, United will soon operate 21 weekly round-trip flights between the US and Israel. That marks an increase from the current 14 flights but still fewer than the 28 flights it offered before October 7.
In the longer term, the added service is expected to help bring down ticket prices for travel between Israel and the US, which have remained especially high since October 7 as demand continues to far exceed supply.
