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Customer Rating = from 1.0 (very poor) to 5.0 (excellent) |
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Customer Reviews : SUMMARY |
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Average Traveller Satisfaction
(Max Score = 5)
3.15 |
62 % of passengers Recommend El Al Israel Airlines
47 % of passengers say ElAl offers Value for Money |
EL AL review : 10 May 2008 by Ariel Harlev (Israel)
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Customer Trip Rating : |
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Recommended: |
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Value for Money: |
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Cabin Flown: |
Economy |
The economy class is average and worth the price compared to other airlines. They have a permanent
problem in the B767's with the audio system, I had in all my flights problems with the headset and
the plugs. Food is good, especially on the Breakfast. Business class is reasonable, seats are ok and
the inflight service is pretty good.
EL AL review : 2 April 2008 by Andrew Smith (Australia)
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Customer Trip Rating : |
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Recommended: |
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Value for Money: |
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Cabin Flown: |
Economy |
JNB-TLV-BOM on EL AL. Check in at JNB was a nightmare. I was told that since my connection to BOM
was more that 4 hours, I had to collect my bags in TLV and check in again. Then I was told that I
had batteries in my checked luggage and those had to be taken out as it was classified as 'dangerous
goods' (it was a torch BTW!). ELAL is a national disgrace with old aircraft, worn-out and dirty
interiors, dreadful IFE, earphone sockets that don't work, and only the very newest of its fleet has
screens in the back of the seat. The cabin crew were very rude and indifferent, and I have never
come across an airline which allows passengers to blatantly break the rules regarding the position
of seat trays/seats during take off/landing. Food was horrible, there was a shortage of food and
some folks at the back just got soft drinks and juice for the 9hr trip from JNB. Reached TLV, then
the nightmare began all over again. Despite being an Australian citizen, I was interrogated for over
an hour in TLV, because I had a one-way ticket to BOM. I was flying QF from BOM to SYD, so what was
the need for me to buy a return ticket to JNB?! Apparently the security staff at TLV had a hard time
understanding this, and I was eventually allowed to collect my bag and check-in again. Flight to BOM
was as usual - cramped and dirty. I'll never fly EL AL again. Security is good, but the
interrogation and the shoddy service are the ones I cant stand. I think this airline is struggling
to be even a 3-star one, deserves to be a 1 or no-star airline. Cabin crew and ground crew could use
some customer service training, as I have never come across such rude people.
EL AL review : 22 March 2008 by J Ignatius (UK)
| | Customer Trip Rating : |
 | Recommended: |
 | Value for Money: |
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Cabin Flown: |
Economy |
LHR-TLV return. Security very tight especially on the flight from LHR. Boarding was slightly
chaotic; there were no announcements and people just sat around in the departure lounge until El Al
staff finally urged them to board the aircraft. Inflight service on both flights was disappointing.
Cabin crew hardly smile. Food was just adequate. The check-in staff at TLV could benefit from
training in customer services. The woman who checked me in was more interested in having a
conversation on the telephone. Generally a poor service.
EL AL review : 15 February 2008 by J Brown (USA)
| | Customer Trip Rating : |
 | Recommended: |
n/a | Value for Money: |
n/a |
Cabin Flown: |
Economy |
JFK-TLV return. Like night and day. Outbound flight a nightmare with mobbed check-in, flight
packed with students, poor and meager food offering. Was moved from bulkhead seat to accomodate
young family. Flight boarded on time but sat at JFK for three hours for no reason. Long overnight
flight had too many loud passengers for sleep. IFE broken. On arrival at TLV, hundreds of bags had
not made it because many had checked three or more in the first place. Return flight departed TLV
just after midnight after quick check-in. Left on time. Food good, cabin full but quiet. Pleasant
flight, arrival at JFK on time and bags came out fast. Try to book the 1Am flight out of TLV on
return, allows better chance of sleep.
EL AL review : 11 February 2008 by Oren Tatcher (Hong Kong)
| | Customer Trip Rating : |
 | Recommended: |
 | Value for Money: |
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Cabin Flown: |
Business |
HKG-TLV in business class. One of the new 772 aircraft. Departure as pleasant and efficient as
expected at HKG. Seats are angled-flat, can't compare with BA or SQ but decent. Interior looks nice
despite strange LED mood lighting. Crew nice and accommodating - good replenishing drinks throughout
the flight. The meal service left much to be desired. Dinner was served immediately after take-off,
which was 4:30PM local time, and was rushed through - by 5:15 it was all over, dessert and coffee
and all. No warm snacks were offered during the flight except instant soup. "Breakfast" was served 1
hour before landing, which was more than 10 hours after dinner, and a strange choice of menu
considering that it was 9PM TLV time. It felt like an overnight inflight service pattern was forced
on what is essentially a long evening flight. IFE also very disappointing; VOD with very poor
selection of both movies and music, which did not even match the listings in the IFE magazine.
Finally, the amenity kit is pathetic, very basic and cheap-looking. No face lotion to be found there
or in the bathrooms.
EL AL review : 1 January 2008 by B Namsil (USA)
| | Customer Trip Rating : |
 | Recommended: |
 | Value for Money: |
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Cabin Flown: |
Business |
TLV-JFK Business Class. Ben Gurion International is a new airport and EL AL Kind David lounge is a
spacious and comfortable pre-boarding area with full line of services inluding a spa. The B777-200
was not one of the latest new models, and the 2-3-2 configuration had seats from the old generation.
I found these not fully reclinable seats more comfortable when compared to angled lie-flat new ones
with small legroom and width. In this case legroom and width was excellent. Service was attentive.
Dining good but not gourmet. Entertainment basic. In general, EL AL Business product was enjoyable,
but without the refinement or focus on detail of major players in the field.
EL AL review : 24 December 2007 by B Namsil (USA)
| | Customer Trip Rating : |
 | Recommended: |
 | Value for Money: |
 |
Cabin Flown: |
Business |
MAD-TLV Business Class. Smooth and efficient check-in. Extra security process not bothering at all.
Boarding was a most disappointing experience with no special attention to premium class passengers.
Aircraft was a 767-200 with a 2-2-2 configuration in Business Class. The seat from the old
generation, was confortable enough for a 4:30 hours flight. Service on board was attentive, lunch
and entertainment were enjoyable. In general, EL AL Business product was acceptable and consistent
with average standards in the market. My recommendation to EL AL would be to look forward into a
more refined level.
EL AL review : 14 November 2007 by J Trevers (USA)
| | Customer Trip Rating : |
 | Recommended: |
 | Value for Money: |
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Cabin Flown: |
Economy |
BRU-TLV and TLV-EWR economy. Brussels to Tel Aviv flight was surprisingly good. Food decent and more
plentiful than on my earlier American Airlines flight. Service was friendly and efficient.
Originally planned to fly from TLV to Paris and then to New York, but the flight was delayed 7 hours
and there was no way to make the connection. They provided us free drinks and snacks, vouchers for
breakfast and lunch and free phone calls. I was re-booked on a nonstop El Al flight to Newark,
leaving 12 hours later. They provided a cab, hotel in Jerusalem and dinner on account of the delay.
The return flight was long and chaotic, as those long flights from Israel usually are. My IFE was
broken, so I was given a portable DVD player. Dinner okay, breakfast was a pretty lousy omelet. They
promised transport home from Newark (since we were originally scheduled for JFK), but forgot to let
anyone at Newark kn0w. So after an hour for the Newark ground staff to check with Israel, and 90
minutes waiting for a car service that never showed up, they paid for cabs for each of us
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OLD STYLE FORUM LAYOUT IS USED FOR
EARLIER COMMENTS BELOW |
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El Al Israel Airlines by M Kaplan
5 September 2007 Customer Trip Rating : 
Tel-Aviv-Newark (747-400). I flew El Al business class and found the experience to be cheap in quality
and very rough around the edges - not worth the price tag. Business class seat is old style and
manually operated while the aircraft interior is dated. Check-in, food and the overall service was
below average and airline personal rude with the exception of the lounge in (TLV) that was nicely
decorated and well stocked but over capacity. EL AL website is deceptive and does not offer its
business class passengers what it claims. If you are expecting comparable service to that offered by
British Airways, Lufthansa, Swiss, Continental, Virgin etc you will be disappointed with El Al
Business Class products.
El Al Israel Airlines by S Robin
5 September 2007 Customer Trip Rating : 
HKG-TLV Economy Class. Seats and interior wre not cleaned properly. Due to cost cutting no longer
serve liquor in economy class. FA opened my overhead locker took my camera bag & small hand bag out &
dumped it roughly into another full overhead locker to make place for a large suitcase which should
have been checked in. When I told her she just ignored me & walked away. The meals served were good
and included fruit & veg. Overall I think due to cost cutting the standard of staff Service & the
cleanliness of the aircraft were inferior. Struggling to be a 3 star airline.
El Al Israel Airlines by G Cohen
2 September 2007 Customer Trip Rating : 
JFK-TLV (747-400) in Business Class - one of the worst experiences I have had as a premium class
passenger. Check-in at (JFK) was a nightmare and took over one hour with only I agent assigned to
handle all business class passengers in addition to ELAL elite members. Seats I reserved for both my
wife and I (10) days prior to departure were not honored while assigning seats not together. The
filthy business class lounge at JFK included stained carpet, sloppy and unhygienic food, no alcoholic
beverages and not enough seating to accommodate all of its business class passengers. After a 2 hour
delay we were permitted to board the aircraft fitted with old style business class seats that was not
properly cleaned. After take-off, business class passengers were served a Coach Style snack that
consisted of a small salad with Thousand Island Dressing and a pre packaged wrap consisting of either
Turkey or Pastrami. The meal was served on a pre arranged plastic tray without any special detail or
style. The beautiful pictures on the ELAL website looked nothing like what we were served. Breakfast
again was served on a pre-arranged tray and without table, cloths and or any special attention given
to the presentation of the meal. Moreover, EL-AL’s catering failed to provide enough meals to
accommodate its business class passengers therefore providing a very limited choice. Most disturbing
to me was that ELAL’s catering failed to stock the aircraft with a sufficient supply of bottled water
and Diet-Coke, beverages unavailable to business class passengers 3 hours prior to landing. Upon
voicing my complaint to the flight attendants servicing business class, they could not care less and
advised that catering was consistently problematic with ELAL and out of their control and that I
should write ELAL. My overall experience with ELAL was horrible and would not recommend this airline
to any person flying to Israel who wants good premium class service. There are a number of other
direct options to Israel such as Delta out of Atlanta and Continental out of Newark so if your are
looking for a decent Business class to Israel I would suggest one of those.
El Al Israel Airlines by J Patterson
28 May 2007 Customer Trip Rating : 
BKK-TLV return was horrible! Interrogated in Bangkok airport for being
Australian, and not told what was going on while everyone around me
spoke Hebrew. Finally on the plane which was small and cramped compared
to the Thai airways flight from Brisbane. No personal IFE apart from
music in every language but English, could not see the screens to watch
movies. Food was awful. Asked for a second pillow to get comfortable for
the 11hr journey but was never given one. All flight attendants spoke
English well but did not go out of their way to offer friendly service
if you didn't speak Hebrew. Hopefully won't have to go back, which is a
shame as Israel is a nice country to visit. 3 Star rating is very
generous!
El Al Israel Airlines - A King
24 April 2007 Customer Trip Rating : 
FRA-TLV (737-800) and TLV-ORD (767-300) in economy with EL-AL. Service has become much better than in the past, much more
professional, efficient, and pleasant. The food is very good, and has a bit of an innovative style,
compared to the typical European airline. Both flight left on time, and the seats were OK, comparable to what they were on any of the typical
American or European airlines.
El Al Israel Airlines - S Nussbaum
4 April 2007 Customer Trip Rating : 
JFK-TLV numerous times in economy. El Al offers 747 and 777 service on
this route (mostly 747). I recommend checking for flights with 777
service because it is worth it - it is almost like being upgraded a
class - the 777 is more modern and comfortable. Both planes offer
Personal IFE but 777 is more modern and has slightly more selection.
Food quality can vary, I've had some excellent meals as well as some
average ones on El Al. FA's vary as well - some will bend over
backwards for you and some will act as if they are doing you a favor -
all depends on the flight. Free alcohol on JFK-TLV (as it should be)
but note FA's get quite weary after the second drink. For this route, I
would recommend El Al as I certainly plan on flying it again.
El Al Israel Airlines - Bruno Serrien
26 March 2007 Customer Trip Rating : n/a
I have now flown 3 times TLV-BKK, both in business and economy. TLV is a
very efficient and pleasant airport, I am happy to take into
consideration and extra 45 minutes for good security procedures. King
David lounge is very good standard. Avoid economy class if you are over
180cm, and you can afford, I was not able to open my notebook, simply no
space. Food and staff OK. Business class has good reclining seats but
nut up to today's standard. Simply too old. Staff and food excellent.
Toilets dirty. In general much too costly for what you get. When do we
get some competition on the BKK-TLV route ?
El Al Israel Airlines - S Michaelson
9 March 2007 Customer Trip Rating : n/a
JFK-TLV-JFK on a 747 both ways. We also got questioned and my wife's
Singapore passport seemed to puzzle them. We had to wait a few minutes
for them to "call Israel", but they cleared us and were apologetic and
very nice. The flight to TLV was good, seats comfortable. They served
dinner and breakfast, very small portions which were just ok. We did not
have a choice for breakfast. Not sure why they served breakfast getting
close to TLV when the local time was 2 PM. The only good thing was the
baskets of hot bagels and pita bread that were served with the meals.
They had PTV, but only six movies playing and it was the same selection
both directions. FAs on the JFK-TLV leg were surly and not helpful at
all. I asked for water once, and had a FA snap, "you'll have to wait".
TLV-JFK route FAs much better, smiling, friendly, making meal
suggestions, offering choices, even at breakfast. Flights were
comfortable, overall a good experience.
El Al Israel Airlines - Nathan Arraf
7 February 2007
After flying Qantas to Hong Kong and El Al to Tel Aviv and having to
check in the luggage again at Hong Kong and interrogated for more than 3
hours despite being an Australian Citizen. I gave them up. I now fly
from Sydney with Emirates or Gulf Air to Amman and use the land
crossing. The flight time saved due to the fact that the flight paths
goes over Arab Countries (El Al goes around the Persian Gulf) make the
difference. I Will never fly EL Al again - security, by any means yes,
but humiliation and needless interrogation - never.
El Al Israel Airlines - Bradley Montag
19 January 2007
FCO-TLV-BKK El Al Economy Class. The service on EL AL has seen rapid
improvements since my last flight with them 10 months ago. Flight attendants on both flights were
extremely courteous and were willing to go out of their way to assist. Again the food was of
exceptional quality (and quantity) and the aircraft were clean and comfortable. The 777-200 flight
to Bangkok was however uncomfortable. The seat pitch felt minimal which made it very hard
to sleep on this 11 hour flight. Unfortunately when travelling to Israel from Australia and vice
versa, unless one wants to incur another 10 hours of travelling through Europe, the EL AL 777-200
services to Asia are the ONLY option. I really hope EL AL improve their seats on this aircraft to
the standard of the very room seats on the 737-700 such as the flight from Rome. I would still
recommend EL AL.
El Al Israel Airlines - Jean-Louis Vergaert
12 November 2006
Tel Aviv Brussels Business Class. a new 737-800. The business cabin is
equipped with business class seats, with a large armrest, very
comfortable footrest and decent recline. The cabin staff was there to
ensure that passengers from economy did not store their mega-size hand
luggage in the business class lockers. We were offered a descriptive
menu and wine list. There was no champagne, but an extensive collection
of very tasty Israeli wine (Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet, desert wine).
The food was good and original: cured beef, chicken with sweet potato’s
and teriyaki sauce, good chocolate cake. Service was smiling and
efficient (although sometimes forgetful). We received a toiletries bag
and headphone. 2 recent movies were played. The toilet was kept clean
and refreshed.
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