EL AL Israel Airlines

Elal one of the best airlines. In service security staff pilots etc
Food is very good
Travelled a lot with elal and to be surprised in my opinion the best seats are in the 737-800 and 747. Fly elal feel at home

Flew EWR=>TLV and TLV=>JFK in Spring 2015. Security is excellent. Cabin service very efficient. Food is very good. Safety..it is my understanding EL AL planes have the latest anti-missile technology installed for inflight protection. Their IDF air force trained pilots are superb. If you are looking for an English type ;buttoned-down; experience, try another airline. Informality is the Israeli personality. Love EL AL for all it represents on their Tel Aviv segments: tourists, families reconnecting, teens on Birthright. And touching down in the promised land. It’s not the same on another airline.

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 to London.

EDITORS COMMENT: Sounds like a nightmare flight!

I travel internationally once a month. I also work in the travel business. I generally advise my clients against flying El Al. Here is the good, the bad and the ugly. The Good- It is the safest, most secure airline in the world. Pilots are best trained and if you are really afraid of your plane being hijacked or shot down, consider El A. The Bad- El Al flies older planes. The seats are much less comfortable than competitors, Many planes have outdated entertainment systems. The Ugly- EL Al doesn’t get it (it being customer service, basic business sense etc.). Two examples: 1. I flew El Al as a Swiss code share. I have gold status which entitles me to 2 suitcases (confirmed with Swiss before the flight). El Al would not check both suitcases through to NY. Instead, I had to reclaim one bag in Geneva and re-check it to NY. When I explained this to the Swiss agent, she was shocked. 2. The last two times I flew El Al, the planes were about 60% full. Many rows had one person in them. My row was full (three people) and once I was stuck in the middle. I was able to switch seats once the plane took off though it meant not sitting next to my son. I’m done with El Al even when code sharing.

High cost, bad service