El Al Israel Airlines

EL AL simply the worst! Just been in the worst flight ever! After 3 hours of security checks at the airport I had to bare almost 6 hours of screaming kids all around me. The airlines count was 35 kids all in the same section– kid you not. Jumping, running, screaming and why not, parents changing dippers all around! On top of that El Al had the kindness of informing me mid flight that they left my bags behind. No explanation, the bags are not lost they were left behind! Amazing airline, The entertainment system is from the 80’s were we all can watch the same movie on the overhead and the service is overwhelmed with requests from people asking for parents to control their kids! This happened to me on both flights there and on the way back

This was my second trip to Israel, and my I will never again fly El Al.
I flew on a flight from Mumbai to Newark. First of all, I think it is kind of ridiculous that there is only one free bag on a flight from Mumbai to Newark (with 20 hour layover in Tel Aviv). It was not one of their cheaper flights, and I didn’t even check the baggage allowance before booking because I’ve never heard of a flight from india to the US that doesn’t have 2 bags included.
I realize a 20 hour layover is a bit silly, but I really love tel aviv in the summer, and having been there before, I didn’t think I would have much security trouble as a white christian woman.
Instead, I was interrogated in mumbai for four hours. I understand the need for questioning, but I felt like I was treated like a terrorist for the whole time for absolutely no reason. I have done a bit of traveling, so I expect a bit of trouble at airport security in some places, but this was ridiculous. I was forced to check all electronics, including my tiny kindle paperwhite, phone charger (Which made for a super fun 32 hours until Newark!!!), laptop, and powerbank.
I was asked to go to the gate right away, where i was very invasively checked again. I was stripped searched (poked and prodded around underwear and forced to remove bra), forced to unbraid my hair (and checked for lice??), had my glasses taken away. I was standing in a dark corner with one single bright light, being questioned about what pictures are on my camera and basically all of the non white people I have ever met without my glasses on. I am extremely nearsighted so it was extremely disorienting to have all of this happen in the dark after being strip searched. My luggage was a complete mess upon arrival, the inside of my suitcase ripped, and things were broken because of their carelessness. 3 months worth of contact lenses were destroyed. My US sim card and yellow fever cards were lost forever. Seriously?!?
I was escorted to my seat on the airplane and off of the aircraft upon arrival, where two security agents met me at the gate. I am a 24 year old girl, who has traveled a lot but also studied international development at an American University. I do not feel that these searches were warranted, and even if they were, they could have been done in a less accusatory way and without destroying so much of my property.
Finally, the on flight entertainment was awful and non existant on one flight. This was especially annoying since I was not allowed to take my kindle (even though all of the people sitting around me had full laptops on board.
El Al, you have a country to protect, but you can do so without being zenophobic and rude.
Basically, never agian.

First and last time flying EL AL.
Flying LAX to TLV was OK. seats are good (Economy Plus) i was seating on the aisle seat and someone was seating window, the middle was empty so we got lucky. it went by quick, staff was friendly seats were comfy with nice leg room. there were some kids and babies, most older people. they kept walking in the aisle but nothing too bad. i have a good tolerance for a lot of things and i only got up once before we landed.
Flying TLV to LAX. OMG what a difference, i came three hours ahead and there were hundreds of people in line for EL AL since there were two flights going to the US (JFK/​LAX). once we passed security questions line we entered the check in line. that took about an hour but nothing we can do about it, just too many people.
Once pass that we went into security luckily there were not too many people there since they were still waiting in check in line. passed quickly was great. then comes passport control, someone needs to educate the Israelis about lines! if there is a line you stand BEHIND the last person in line not just next to one of the people in line! people will come and stand next to me instead of behind me, i just don’t understand that. so instead of having a single line it was a mob of people trying to squeeze in the line. what’s up with that?! no one tells them to stand right in line. anyways we got past that and was waiting to board same thing with boarding standing in line people stand next to you instead of going to the back of the line. was very annoying.
On the plane it seems there were only Israelis there, all i heard was Hebrew and people were yelling screaming about the seats they got, one was saying he wont sit down even during take off since he can’t sit down with a bad knee in a seat that is not an exit row seat. other ladies were arguing with each other about other things, so loud you can’t hear yourself or the flight attendants. someone them were asking for refunds, some sort of compensation… typical israeli! Anyways this was the longest flight ever! two kids seating behind me kept hitting the screen in front of them which is my seat and just couldn’t realize they can pull out the remote and use it. the parents did nothing. lots of kids and babies on the flight two kids behind me one baby in front of me and one baby to my left.
The flight attendants were not rude but were not customary as well. they throw my water bottles when we boarded (security i guess) and i couldn’t get a new bottle even if i told them i’d pay for it. i just needed water with me. they gave small .5 ml water bottles and let you know they can refill it. 3 hours before landing they were out of water!
It was just a bad experience flying back, flying to TLV was far better.
I fly United only, and i probably going to stick with it. during the holidays of Sep United was all booked so i had no choice but to take EL AL. never again!

Flew El Al Airlines to Israel a few weeks ago, and while my overall experience is deserving of four stars, the flight to Israel was much more impressive than the flight coming back to America. The flight was leaving out of Newark Airport in New Jersey. The check in process was very smooth, there was some brief questioning prior to checking in, which made me feel very comfortable that the airway was being very cautious about who they were letting on their flight and into the country. On the way to Israel, we were able to bring water bottles onto the flight that we had purchased once we got into the gate. This was not the case for the way home. My friends and I had purchased $ 10 water bottles in the airport for the long 12 ½ hour flight back to the America and we were told we weren’t allowed to bring them onto the flight. We had to stand outside the plane and drink them or throw them out. I was extremely aggravated because had there been signage, notifying the passengers that no drinks were allowed on the flight, I would have drank the water in the hour prior to boarding the plane or just not spent the $ 10 to purchase one in the first place. My friend who had just purchased several containers of hummus at duty-​free was told she was not allowed to bring them onto the flight unless she was able to show a receipt. She had thrown her receipt out earlier, and so she had to dispose of several dollars worth of hummus. It was such a shame. I couldn’t grasp this concept, considering we had already gone through security. Any food or beverage that made it to the gate had to have been purchased within the airport.
The seats in coach were comfortable but reclined back so far that if you had a window seat and needed to get up, you had to have everyone in your row get up because no matter how thin or small you are, there was no fitting past the people next to you. There needed to be much more leg room. Nobody wants to have to wake up strangers sitting next to them on a long plane ride and nobody wants to be woken up to get up for someone, especially on such a long flight like this, sometimes it takes forever to finally snooze. The flight attendants going to Israel were incredibly attentive and king. They continuously came around with water, coffee and tea. I thought it was important to constantly walk around with water because staying hydrated on a flight this long is crucial. On the flight back to America however, the attendants walked around once or twice with water throughout the 12 ½ hour flight and that was it! If we wanted water, we had to again, wake everyone in our row up to get up and grab some. There are places to get up and stand on this plane which was great. I would walk down the aisles doing lunges and didn’t feel weird at all. The food on the way to Israel was great. Choice between chicken or pasta for dinner and it was served with a little salad, hummus, pita, spring water and a brownie. The food although not too pretty, was delicious. Two hours or so before landing in Israel, the lights were turned back on and breakfast was served with a very enthusiastic Good Morning from the flight crew. They speak both Hebrew and English and announcements are made in both too. For breakfast, there was a danish of the sort, plain egg omelet, little bowl of fruit, bagel with cream cheese and jam and lox! I was very impressed. The coffee that was being served was also super tasty and fresh. The food on the way home wasn’t appetizing at all. We got breakfast immediately after taking off which was annoying considering almost all of us had eaten right before. The breakfast was an omelet that didn’t taste great at all, plain yogurt, a stale roll and cracker. Dinner was served about 40 minutes before landing, so we went 10 hours without any food being served. People kept getting up and begging the flight attendants for little crackers because we were all starving! Finally, dinner came out and we had a choice between chicken and pasta bolognese. I got chicken but turns out they were chicken meatballs with green beans in a red sauce. It was not good, and I was really thankful it came with a cinnamon bun and hummus and pita.
Entertainment on the way there was great. They were showing eight different movies, but unfortunately you couldn’t restart any of them so you had to watch while it was in the middle or wait until it was over and watch from the beginning. They had a couple music stations as well and I often used the tracker map to see where we were flying over which was very cool. On the way home, there was no entertainment and many of the televisions were not working. No movies for a 12 ½ hour flight was brutal. When it comes down to flying, my biggest issue is safety and both the flight to Israel and home made me feel very safe so I think a 4 star review here is well deserved.

I recently traveled to Israel with a Birthright group, and we flew to Tel Aviv from Newark Airport on El Al. This was the first time I flew with this airline, and I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect since for friends and family members of mine who’ve flown El Al before, their experiences ranged from wonderful to not good. I arrived at the airport hoping for the best and overall, I actually had a fairly positive experience.
Check-​in was a smooth process. You are first asked a few questions by one of the airline agents for security purposes; just make sure to answer their questions politely and truthfully and you shouldn’t have any problems. Then proceed to the actual check-​in counter to hand over your checked luggage and get your boarding pass. From there, you can go through security and finally to the gate to wait to board your flight.
On the plane, I sat in one of the aisle seats of the very last middle row on the plane (economy class), which was a Boeing 777. The seat itself was surprisingly comfortable for the long flight, and they provided a packaged blanket was nice, though I did bring a neck pillow for extra comfort. The in-​seat entertainment system worked alright, but it was sometimes glitchy and the random selection of movies and TV shows to watch left a lot to be desired. Also, a big disappointment and inconvenience was that none of the USB power outlets in coach on both flights I took worked at all, so you could not charge your phone or other electronic devices. Bathrooms were clean and there are several of them onboard. The mood lighting on overnight flights was also a cool added touch.
The meals were not bad for airplane food but could be better. We were served a sesame chicken with rice and vegetables meal for dinner (very good), and for breakfast were served an egg with ratatouille and yogurt (not very good). The flight attendants do come around periodically offering water, tea, and coffee as well as little packages of crackers. Fortunately, if you wanted more to drink there I never had a problem going to the back galley and asking for some.
Service was generally decent. Almost all of the crew members I encountered were polite and helpful. However, beware that they can get a little curt with you if you interrupt them with something not urgent when they’re in the middle of a task.
As for the value, I have no comment on the price per ticket because my airfare was completely paid for (thanks Birthright!), but I would definitely consider flying El Al again.

Pretty good experience overall. I flew with El Al last summer from Athens — Tel Aviv — New York.
The seats were pretty large even in economy and the food was good. They offered free alcohol as well (at least on the long leg of the trip).
Be prepared to be completely interrogated before they let you check in for your flight. We had someone pull us aside in Athens and question us, search our luggage and ask what we were doing going to Israel. Even though we said this was a continuing flight and we are not getting out in Tel Aviv they kept asking a lot of questions. I was not expecting this but I’ve never traveled to or around Israel before.
I’d fly with them again if the price was right.

Traveling the sky for hours on end in a sardine can is something I never look forward to with zest. Traveling business class, however, makes the experience a lot more tolerable, even enjoyable, and includes wiggle room for said sardines. My boarding experience and inflight service experience were all good.
SEATING
I’m only reviewing business class seating in a Boeing 777 because I wasn’t in first class or coach. On the left and right side are rows of aisle and window seats. In the center is a row of 3 seats, 2 aisle and one middle. I prefer a window seat when I want to keep the windows closed, sleep with less people being able to see me, and not have anyone trying to hop over me when I’m sleeping. However, I prefer an aisle seat when I don’t want to have to jump over someone sleeping to get to the restroom. There are benefits to both. The seats are spacious, leather, have malleable head rests, have a stowed table-​top in one arm, have a stowed television, and flatten out to 150 degrees I believe — almost flat. Either way, it’s comfortable enough to sleep when on a red-​eye. Also, there is a partition between seats which you can lift or keep stowed away. I like to lift it for that touch of extra privacy. You have a light above you which you can control with the stowed remote control. This control is also used for your inflight entertainment — television sitcoms, movies, or music. They supply you with a clean, bagged blanket and clean, bagged, large headphones you can plug in to a socket near your seat back.
FLIGHT ATTENDANTS
The flight attendants from Newark to Tel Aviv and Tel Aviv to Newark were all very hospitable and nice. They speak Hebrew and English. Even if you ask them for 6 beverages during your flight, they never seem to be upset. They bring around newspapers and magazines for your inflight reading pleasure– in Hebrew and English. They give you the opportunity to purchase products duty free such as, alcohol and cigarettes. I did see quite a few individuals purchase these. If you press the flight attendant button they will rush over to assist you ASAP. They also bring around the refreshingly warm, moist, lemony wash cloths and immediately retrieve them. They hand out a gift at the beginning of the flight which consists of a sleep mask, socks/​slippers, ear plugs, toothbrush/​paste, and lotion — all tucked away in a reusable cosmetic bag. At the end of the flight they pick up trash/​newspapers, retrieve used blankets/​headphones, and hand out a eucalyptus mint.
DRINK AND FOOD
They offer a preflight drink — usually flat water or orange juice. In flight, I had a couple of nice cappuccinos, a juice, and club soda. They offer alcoholic beverages, but I was not in the mood for any during my flights.
I was offered both dinner and breakfast on my 10.5 hour flight from Newark to Tel Aviv and breakfast on my 12 hour flight from Tel Aviv to Newark. On my first flight, I did not have dinner because I ate during my long layover, the flight was late night, and I wanted to sleep. I did have breakfast both to and from Tel Aviv, which were very nice. Both breakfasts came with a salad (one cucumber, tomato, and pepper; the other a leafy garden salad), smoked salmon/​cream cheese/​olive tapenade, choice of bread, yogurt, mousse dessert, and your choice of fresh fruit salad with muesli (a dry granola-​like cereal) or egg omelet. I chose the muesli and mixed it with yogurt, honey, and the fruit. I thoroughly enjoyed the breakfast.
Remember, before your First Class or Business Class flight you are allowed access to El Al’s King David Lounge which offers plenty of comfortable seating, snacks, and any type of beverage you can think of.
Overall, I would recommend flying El Al Business Class. Enjoy!

I loved El Al. It is one of the first long distance airlines I flew and I had a very positive experience. Of course it may have had something to do with me being under 21 at the time and being with a bunch of college kids excited to get drunk in international waters.
Also, we flew back to the US during a huge snow storm with East Coast airports experiencing major delays. El Al put us in the hotel for 2 nights so we didn’t have to sleep on our suitcases. Major kudos to them.