Rome and Athens: Israel’s unlikely new gateways to North America - comment

In a cab to Ben-Gurion Airport on my way to the States, the driver asked me the inevitable question: “Terminal One or Three?”

Terminal Three provided the stark images for a recent article in this paper titled, “Chaos ensues at Ben-Gurion Airport after staff strike grinds Israeli air travel to a halt.” Terminal One, on the other hand, is the nostalgic airport of my youth.

I began this piece in homage to the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who popularized the cab-driver conversation device to advance his multiple causes, from support of the two-state solution to critiques of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

What I really wanted to tell my driver, however, was “Terminal Four” – which is why I am now proposing the immediate inauguration of “Terminal Four” and “Terminal Five.”

No construction budget is required. “Terminal Four” is known internationally as FCO – Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci International Airport. “Terminal Five” is ATH – Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos.

The new route to North America 

It seems like almost everyone flying to North America this summer passed through a European hub, with ATH and FCO ranking among the most popular. This is not due to any sudden urge to explore the historical connection between the Jewish people and the Greeks or the Romans. It is simply because US carriers were not flying to Israel.

As a result, travelers to North America faced sky-high prices and severely limited availability on the few direct routes served by Israeli carriers.

In case you have not experienced this pain personally, New York, Miami, Los Angeles, and Boston were the only nonstop summer destinations operating out of Ben-Gurion.

A sample of economy-class summer direct fares showed New York hovering around $2,500, while the other North American destinations were going for over $6,000 for the lowest-cost seat.

Shockingly, at those astronomical prices, seats were still scarce. While this has been the absurd reality for most of the past three years, the highly anticipated, step-by-step return of US legacy carriers will continue to be reported in The Jerusalem Post Travel section.

Compare that to the brief golden period between the end of COVID-19 restrictions and October 7, 2023, when those exact same flights hovered around the thousand-dollar mark.

Furthermore, the prolonged absence of Delta, United, American, and Air Canada completely stripped my fellow travelers of nonstop service to the San Francisco Bay Area, Chicago, and the entirety of the Great White North.

Thus, we return to the “Terminal Four” and “Terminal Five” designation. Geographical accuracy and tongue-in-cheek branding aside, no one expects European aviation authorities to permanently rewrite their signs.

Yet, in an era where Florida has officially renamed West Palm Beach to President Donald J. Trump International Airport, and Tennessee is moving to honor Dolly Parton at Nashville International, a little creative renaming isn’t entirely without precedent.

And for my fellow travelers heading to North America, these unorthodox hubs remain a highly relevant, de facto reality – so much so that summer travelers report Hebrew has almost become the lingua franca at selected European airports.

How to make use of a European stopover

The reality of how “Terminals Four and Five” operate as impromptu hubs is still relevant and quite straightforward, as follows:

FCO and ATH are served from Israel by multiple Israeli, European, and low-cost carriers. Landing in Rome or Athens, the world is your oyster. From there, 11 additional North American cities are served nonstop by seven different airlines, with round-trip transatlantic fares sitting comfortably around $1,000.

Given that a European stopover on the way to North America introduces additional scheduling flexibility alongside potential cost savings, it becomes a viable travel strategy.

As an added feature, why not make a day of it? Leave the airport. Hit the beach in 10 minutes, zip off to the Colosseum in 45 minutes, or make it to the Acropolis in an hour. Enjoy excellent dining in Rome, kosher or otherwise.

Experience an authentic meal of carciofi alla giudia (Jewish-style artichokes) in the historic Jewish Ghetto. You can even bring a dense, sweet cake of Pizza Ebraica home to your family in Teaneck, NJ.

They say Rome was not built in a day, but you can certainly see a lot of it in one. If you want to stay close to FCO, venture no more than 10 minutes from the terminal to the beaches of Lido di Ostia, or explore the world-class ruins and Europe’s oldest synagogue at Ostia Antica.

If your schedule requires an overnight stay, book an airport hotel or a cozy guesthouse in nearby Fiumicino, Italy, or Artemida, Greece.

Once your sightseeing is done, utilize your airline lounge access or buy a day pass to relax, recharge, and shower before boarding your transatlantic flight.

Convinced? Just remember to plan ahead, especially if traveling with children. Make sure your schedules align well. Because you may be self-connecting across multiple airlines, leave plenty of time between flights – no tight connections, please. You will likely need to collect your bags in FCO or ATH, so locate luggage storage facilities in advance.

Book convenient lodging, map out your transportation plan, and check opening hours, as Italian cultural sites do not always operate on a 365-day schedule. My personal advice for the day excursion: travel light or ultra-light.

Get off the plane excited to explore. By the time you upload photos of your kids climbing on 2,000-year-old Roman ruins to your social networks, you will be boarding your next flight feeling rested, invigorated, and a bit more well-traveled.

The long absence of American carriers was disturbing, yet the crisis has left us with what may be a better way to travel to North America. A well-planned stopover isn’t a compromise; it is a creative travel opportunity.

Even as more direct routes open up, do not be surprised if the savvy traveler who has opted for a day in Rome is greeted by a sign that reads: “Terminal Four – FCO – Benvenuti a Roma! Bruchim HaBa’im.”

The writer is an occasional contributor to the Post from Ra’anana. In his day job, he is CEO of Coworking Israel.