It's hard to believe the Israeli airline companies when they say their employees are leading the shutdown at Ben-Gurion International Airport, rather than the companies themselves. Placing responsibility on the Histadrut and employees' shoulders will only cause the situation to deteriorate further. If they're discussing an all-out strike at Ben-Gurion, Israel's only gateway in and out of the country, and widespread disruptions in the national, Histadrut-controlled transportation network, we're going to have a lose-lose situation on our hands. Already, Israeli airlines are counting their losses. Travelers frustrated after delays and cancellations caused by the strike have said that they won't fly Israeli airlines ever again. The lucky travelers that mange to jump on foreign airlines will probably get better service, and will most likely never come back to Israeli companies again, if they can avoid it. If you want to protest, you ought to do it against the government and the transportation minister rather than at the expense of your customer base. The latter will abandon their loyalty. No strike is going to change the Open Skies agreement. On Sunday, in fact, despite all the protests, the government ratified the agreement without buckling to external pressures. Airline company management should enter into negotiations with the transportation minister to hammer out better deals to prevent the potential collapse of an Israeli company unable to compete due to unequal conditions. It's worth seeing what must be tweaked in the dawning era of increased competition. Competition is a healthy phenomenon. Look what happened in the telecommunications industry when new players hit the field. The same thing is also going to happen in aviation. It's a matter of supply and demand. On Sunday, foreign airlines raised their prices because of the high demand. When more flights are scheduled and more airlines fly to the same destinations, prices will probably drop. Cabinet ministers are convinced that increasing the number of seats will cause a commensurate rise in the number of tourists, not just vice versa. That's a possibility, but Israel also needs to focus on continuing to develop its own tourism infrastructure. This doesn't just mean building and renovating hotels. Israel must create attractions and beautify archeological sites. Most importantly, Israel needs calm. Operation Pillar of Defense caused a drop in tourism at the end of 2012. A peaceful atmosphere would draw back tourists who, today, stay away from the Middle East altogether.
