El Al Airlines is boosting fares by six percent effective May 1, in addition to a new $80 surcharge to cover mounting fuel costs. The price of crude oil Monday was quoted at a new record of $117 a barrel. The rise in airfares is the second in four months.
The fuel surcharge will apply to long-range flights, and passengers on the routes from Europe to Israel will pay $40 more while $30 will be tacked on for shorter routes in the area of the Mediterranean Sea.