Full Analysis Summary
El Al pricing probe
Israel’s Competition Authority has moved to impose the maximum statutory fine of NIS 121 million on national carrier El Al.
The regulator accuses the airline of charging excessive and unfair fares after most foreign carriers suspended service following the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack.
The authority says El Al’s market share jumped from roughly 20% before the war to more than 70% within days.
It reports that average ticket prices rose about 16%, with route-specific increases of 6%–31%.
Coverage Differences
Tone/Framing
COLlive (Western Alternative) frames the authority’s action as an intention to impose the maximum fine and highlights the fine in local currency and a $33 million conversion, using the phrase “intends to impose,” while i24NEWS (Israeli) says the authority “will seek to fine” and gives a $39 million conversion; Haaretz (Israeli) frames the matter as the conclusion of a regulatory investigation and emphasizes the authority’s analytic work. This shows variation in immediacy and emphasis across outlets.
El Al market analysis
All three outlets report similar market-share and price-rise findings but emphasize different evidence.
Haaretz stresses that the inquiry used extensive econometric analysis, noting seat-occupancy as high as 93% on some routes.
Haaretz also notes that El Al was the only carrier offering direct U.S. flights until March 2024.
i24NEWS highlights the time window the regulator examined (Oct. 7, 2023–May 2024) and the Authority’s plan to formally declare El Al a monopoly for the period.
COLlive underscores that El Al became a de facto monopoly and that average fares rose roughly 16% in the conflict’s first months.
Coverage Differences
Emphasis/Narrative
Haaretz (Israeli) foregrounds the regulator’s technical methods and route-level occupancy data — using terms like “extensive econometric analysis” and noting “seat occupancy as high as 93%” — whereas i24NEWS (Israeli) emphasizes the formal legal timeframe (Oct. 7, 2023–May 2024) and the regulator’s intention to declare a temporary monopoly; COLlive (Western Alternative) highlights the “de facto monopoly” wording and stresses the 16% average rise as unjustified.
El Al fares and profits
Reporting differs on fare specifics and profit context.
Haaretz gives concrete ticket examples, noting December 2023 fares to New York started around $1,589, last-minute economy tickets reached $3,600, and business class cost $10,500, and it frames the proposed fine as small compared with what it calls El Al’s wartime profits of $934 million net from Q4 2023 through Q3 2025 (about 2.9 billion shekels).
By contrast, COLlive and i24NEWS cite El Al’s reported 2024 figures of $3.4 billion in revenue and a $545 million net profit, and note the airline rejects the allegations and will contest them at a hearing.
Coverage Differences
Numeric/Scope
Haaretz (Israeli) uses a multi-quarter profit figure spanning Q4 2023 through Q3 2025 to calculate that the proposed fine is roughly 1/24th of those wartime profits, while COLlive (Western Alternative) and i24NEWS (Israeli) cite El Al’s 2024 revenue and $545 million net profit to emphasize the company’s strong financial results; Haaretz also gives detailed per-ticket price examples that the other outlets do not provide.
El Al fare dispute
El Al has publicly rejected the Competition Authority's findings and pledged to contest them at a hearing.
The airline argues the 16% average fare rise does not amount to price gouging.
The authority has summoned company representatives for a formal hearing, and a final decision will follow.
COLlive additionally notes separate civil lawsuits alleging wartime price gouging.
It stresses that any state penalty would go to the government rather than private plaintiffs.
Coverage Differences
Coverage/Detail
All sources report El Al’s rejection and the pending hearing, but COLlive (Western Alternative) uniquely mentions separate civil lawsuits alleging wartime price-gouging and explicitly notes that any penalty would go to the state; i24NEWS quotes El Al’s specific rebuttal that “a 16% average fare rise is not price gouging,” while Haaretz (Israeli) focuses on the regulator’s summons and legal determination of “excessive” pricing.