El Al Israel Airlines Passenger Reviews and El Al Israel Airlines Customer Trip Reports   a World 3-Star Airline       Add your El Al Review   El Al 3-Star Airline ranking   Airline Reviews : A-Z Index   Customer Review scoring : El Al Israel Airlines   4.4 out of 10 143 reviews

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	EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  23 May 2013 by Peter Paul Ng    (USA)
	Rating : 9/10 Cabin Flown Economy Value for Money Seat Comfort Staff Service Catering Entertainment Recommended	EWR-TLV, LY028, TLV-JFK, LY011, May 2013, Outbound B777, Inbound B747. Checked in 3 hrs early on a Sunday at EWR before 13.30pm flight. Polite pre-flight screening and check-in agents. EWR can be pleasant and uncrowded on a Sunday morning. After priority seating, its general boarding for all not by rows. Not chaotic but something to improve. Newish B777 seat pitch good for my small frame. IFE not bad for 10-11 hrs. Flight time. B747 seat pitch roomy enough for me but cabin and IFE looking tired but clean. Food passable, edible with regular drink runs. My low sodium meals were served ahead. Inbound they had sandwiches and drinks at galley. ELAL flight crew a gem. Rest rooms were clean. It's passengers who were messing them up. I wish people would not grab seats in front when standing. Annoying. Pilots were updating on PA regularly. I was able to take short naps on both legs which were quite pleasant. I would fly ELAL again should I visit Israel again.

	EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  23 May 2013 by Paul Suliteanu    (Israel)
	Rating : 7/10 Cabin Flown Premium Economy Value for Money Seat Comfort Staff Service Catering Entertainment Recommended	TLV-BKK, Economy Plus. Flight on a very old B767-300 4X-EAR. Good leg room in economy plus. Got an amenity kit. However, no entertainment, only a big screen. Slept much of the flight. One hour after takeoff served food but didn't eat. After that crew disappeared. They came back only in the end to serve breakfast which was a good omelette and a cake. Nice overall. Would not fly with them on this route unless they change the plane.

	EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  22 May 2013 by Cohen Moti    (Canada)
	Rating : 2/10 Cabin Flown Economy Value for Money Seat Comfort Staff Service Catering Entertainment Recommended	We had a horrible experience flying with a baby from Toronto to Israel. We booked a seat with a bassinet and when we arrived we were told that our 11 month old is too old for a bassinet and the seats were reserved for younger babies. On board we discovered that an older (16 month old) baby received a bassinet. To make matters worse our originally assigned seats were occupied by travellers with no children. On this long haul flight there was almost no on-board entertainment. The service was poor and meals were extremely small leaving us and other passengers hungry.

	EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  29 April 2013 by Katz Shira    (Israel)
	Rating : 0/10 Cabin Flown Economy Value for Money Seat Comfort Staff Service Catering Entertainment Recommended	Yesterday I flew from NYC to Israel. In the section I was sitting in there was something wrong with the speakers. Every 2-3 minutes, for about a minute at a time the speakers would make a horrible screeching and buzzing sound for the duration of the flight - for 10 hours. The flight attendant tried to fix it, eventually offered ear plugs. I have never seen so much chaos or got so little sleep. Due to the chaos they took longer than usual serving the meals and served the kosher special meals long before other meals. I will never fly El Al again!

	EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  18 April 2013 by A Lipman    (Israel)
	Rating : 3/10 Cabin Flown Economy Value for Money Seat Comfort Staff Service Catering Entertainment Recommended	We traveled from TLV-JNB on EL AL and then on to CPT in December 2012. I have been travelling EL AL all my life and this trip showed how the quality of their product has deteriorated. We flew on an old 762 which only benefit was the good legroom. The food (special kosher) was atrocious, there was only a limited (non alcoholic) bar selection and the entertainment was virtually non existent. Fortunately it was a night flight and the reasonably spacious aircraft allowed us to sleep. The staff however were very friendly and helpful and I felt they were trying to make up for the inadequacy of the rest of the product. On the way back SAA caused us to miss the EL AL flight back to TLV from JNB and very kindly sent us via London where we stayed with family for a weekend before returning to TLV on BA in one of their newly refurbished A321 mid-hauls.

	EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  12 April 2013 by Indranil Chakrabarty    (Australia)
	Rating : 3/10 Cabin Flown Economy Value for Money Seat Comfort Staff Service Catering Entertainment Recommended	Service or the lack of it no surprise at EL AL. If you want to fly from Asia/Australasia to Israel EL AL is probably the only airline to fly. Which is why the flights from BKK are packed 744 featuring bad food, non- existent service, filthy toilets and dated interiors.

	EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  12 February 2013 by B Zlatopolsky    (UK)
	Rating : 0/10 Cabin Flown Economy Value for Money Seat Comfort Staff Service Catering Entertainment Recommended	LON-TLV-LON. Excessive security which wasted all of my pre-flight time and messed up my luggage. Flight out was on time but I didn't get any service (only slept for an hour so maybe happened then), nothing on waking up. On the way back at least had entertainment system, but was probably from the 80s on a dated 747-400. Food was rubbish, service was non existent (I had to ask multiple times for a landing card). This also tends to be a very expensive airline so will avoid.

	EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  7 February 2013 by L Eitam    (Israel)
	Rating : 3/10 Cabin Flown Economy Value for Money Seat Comfort Staff Service Catering Entertainment Recommended	TLV-PRG on a very tired looking 737-800 with just one class. Plane was cramped, narrow seats with insufficient legroom. The seats were dirty and the plane smelt. No personal screens so movie screened on overhead aisle screens. My headphones didn't work. Surprisingly there seemed to be a huge number of flight attendants. I counted at least 12 going back and forth while pushing trolleys full of duty free items and trash. Toilets weren't cleaned during the flight - plane was dirty from start to finish.

	EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  28 December 2012 by O Nacht    (Israel)
	Rating : 6/10 Cabin Flown Business Value for Money Seat Comfort Staff Service Catering Entertainment Recommended	TLV-JFK-TLV. Business Class. Outbound on 777, Inbound on 747-400. El-Al's problem is neither the aircraft nor the service but the competition. Practically all other airlines flying direct on this route or similar ones to the East Cost have switched to seats that recline to a full horizontal flat-bed position. El-Al, insisting on an old fashioned 3-compartment configuration with a separate first class, must differentiate the first from the business and remains with those seats that leave you slipping toward the floor in your sleep. Also, the in- flight entertainment system on the 747 is years behind, and offers close to nothing. They'll either have to catch up with the rest of the pack or be left with their ultra-orthodox crowd. It's a pity because the crew on both flights was eager to please and sometimes downright enthusiastic, much more pleasant than anything I've encountered on other airlines.

	EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  15 December 2012 by Danny Gräber    (Israel)
	Rating : 9/10 Cabin Flown Economy Value for Money Seat Comfort Staff Service Catering Entertainment Recommended	Tel Aviv TLV - Warsaw WAW - Tel Aviv TLV. Both flights with Boeing 737-800. Leg space quite satisfactory, seats stiff, nice in-flight entertainment, lovely meals on both directions and extremely efficient and friendly crew, always around and ready to assist. The only problem was punctuality: flight was one hour late in one direction and more than an hour late on the other. Crew explained that happened due to the late arrival of the plane in both directions. All in all, a very positive experience.

	EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  6 December 2012 by Claudia Heidel    (Germany)
	Rating : 0/10 Cabin Flown Economy Value for Money Seat Comfort Staff Service Catering Entertainment Recommended	I took Royal Jordanian from Berlin to Bangkok which was fine. My return was on El-Al. Flight from Bangkok to Tel Aviv was more than 4 hours late and we were kept in the dark and our queries basically ignored. The flight itself was on a very old tired B747 with no IFE's and a cold meal for a very long flight. I also fail to understand why El-Al flight attendants do not clean the toilets. I missed my connection to Berlin and my frustrations were met with shrugs and I was offered one measly food coupon for the next flight in 8 hours, no hotel, nothing. My flight to Berlin was only slightly better.

	EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  4 December 2012 by Brian Levy    (Ireland)
	Rating : 0/10 Cabin Flown Economy Value for Money Seat Comfort Staff Service Catering Entertainment Recommended	JFK to Tel Aviv. Terrible experience to say the least. It's been quite a while since I've taken El-Al and it will definitely be my last. The aircraft was newish but the food that was served us was inedible and cold served by the rudest flight attendants I've encountered in years. The bathrooms were filthy just an hour after take- off and were never cleaned. My IFE wasn't working and I got a cold stare when I asked the FA to fix it. Many passengers ignored the seat belt signs throughout the flight and the flight attendants basically didn't care. Never again.

	EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  2 December 2012 by Nadav Yeshayahu    (Israel)
	Rating : 7/10 Cabin Flown Economy Value for Money Seat Comfort Staff Service Catering Entertainment Recommended	TLV-FRA and back. From Tel Aviv on Boeing 737-800 and returning from Frankfurt on a Boeing 737-700 aircraft. Cabin staff fine, although looked sullen when I asked for some water. Legroom was fine. Overhead screen poor quality, but good entertainment with no selection. Food was really good, even on the return flight there were special Passover kosher rolls (kosher meals are served on all EL Al flights). Bathrooms kept cleaned entire flights. Boarding both Tel Aviv and Frankfurt was fast. Flights were on April this year, I heard they improved since. Overall would travel El Al again.

	EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  23 November 2012 by G Afek    (Israel)
	Rating : 8/10 Cabin Flown Economy Value for Money Seat Comfort Staff Service Catering Entertainment Recommended	Trip was TLV-HKG. Aircraft was B772. Cabin staff were friendly, efficient and professional. Couldn't ask for more. Leg room was cramped for a 1.83 meter person. Seat comfort was fair or better. IFE would have been considered cutting edge in the late 90's. It included a personal screen, giving a disappointingly low resolution picture. Content was below the expected international standard, but still far from poor. I enjoyed the meal. Overall I would fly with them again.

EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  19 November 2012 by J Couch (USA)

TLV to YYZ on 767-300 old plane but everything was working ok. Bathrooms rooms were kept clean at all times. Flight was great. Food was excellent. I fly EL Al at least twice a year and always a pleasure.

EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  25 October 2012 by P Sharbi (Australia)

BKK-TLV-BKK. Full flight on old 747 in economy class. No alcoholic drinks served in economy class except small cup of wine before meal. Meal portions very small and not tasty at all. Entertainment was good with back seat video screens, but on return flight old 767 aircraft with no back seat entertainment only large screen which could hardly see. Toilets dirty and although I complained to hostess not cleaned throughout flight. The fare was quite high and was not value for the price paid.

EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  23 October 2012 by A Wechsler (Australia)

Economy Plus from Bangkok-Tel Aviv-Bangkok. Old planes but flight out ok, however return a disaster. Invisible staff, filthy toilets, mediocre food and after four requests and eight hours later, I was told they have no English papers on the flight. Unless there is an amazing deal on El Al, I will not travel with them again.

EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  20 September 2012 by J Meron (Israel)

Flew TLV-LHR 317 on Sep 3 2012. Flight was fairly full but boarding was uneventful. Food was OK although entertainment was very limited. The overhead lights on both our seats didn't work. I asked to be re-seated and there was a vacant seat across the aisle from us, however the stewardess said I couldn't sit there. Instead she offered me an alternative seat further to the front of the aircraft just behind a squalling baby.

EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  6 September 2012 by Steve Shannon (Canada)

LHR-TLV B747 Business (Upper Deck). First time with EL AL and was a little concerned given the mixed reviews on this forum. However, the flight was terrific. In the upper deck in business with attentive and friendly service. Food was delicious and the Israeli wines of a high standard. Cabin clean and roomy. Only [minor] criticism was the out-dated in flight entertainment - but I am not a big fan of this anyhow and prefer to read. Overall a great experience and will fly them again.

EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  6 August 2012 by L McCluskey (USA)

We allowed 3 hours for check in flying out of Tel Aviv on a non-stop to JFK. We began by entering a line for baggage screening, where a lovely young man asked us 4 questions. Next we proceeded to the counter to check in our bags and get boarding passes. We were not asked a single question by the check in agent. Within 10 minutes we had cleared security and had boarding passes in hand. We then went to departures where we went through airport security, normal metal detector, hand luggage through a screening machine. We never encountered any type of interrogation or any rude employees. The entire process took less time and was less invasive than an airport in the states. We flew a 747, in coach, row 26, three seats together on left side of plane. The seats reclined a full 8 inches, comfortable for a long flight. The in flight entertainment was great. No problems with noise level or people congregating together as mentioned in several reviews, the food was hot and very good. I found the airline to be very professional, the flight was nice and I would fly them again.

EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  2 August 2012 by Antonio Ramos (South Africa)

Flew JNB-TLV on 14 July and return on 27 July in a B767. Aircraft relatively old but comfortable. Crew on both legs were friendly and constantly up and down the aisles offering water. Meals, both breakfasts and lunches, were quite tasty for airline food and the bread was served hot and really tasty. In flight entertainment was on the nearly the entire duration of the 9 hour trips. Overall a very pleasant experience.

EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  25 May 2012 by E Lerner (Czech Republic)

PRG-TLV-ETH and back 1-2 times a year + a couple of other flights. Good quality natural meals, especially on special orders (they are served first, too). Some interesting Israeli gifts sold onboard. Disgraceful security interrogations at check-in (claiming to provide real security, but probably more theatrical than secure). Generally not cheap, but occasionally offering very good deals.

EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  9 May 2012 by S Rozin (Israel)

Round trip TLV-Moscow. Outbound B767-300, ancient, without PTV. Generous leg room, and that's really the important feature. Young all female crew, happy to serve. Poor quality breakfast, a tiny omelette with yoghurt, roll and a mystery dessert. Frequent water runs by crew. Return on a B737-800.Good leg room again, no PTV again. Crew again young and friendly, service with a smile. This time dinner was much better than outbound meal. Frequent water runs - every 15 minutes. One can tell cuts in inflight amenities compared to previous flights. All in all, good value for money paid.

EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  23 April 2012 by Y Zirler (Israel)

I used this airline 6 times (4 on Bangkok-Tel Aviv route and twice Tel Aviv-Rome route). Staff were friendly and the food was good, entertainment was absolutely fine.

EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  9 April 2012 by Peter Thackray (UK)

LHR-TLV-LHR. Flew out on B747 which had individual seat back screens with a choice of films playing in a fixed pattern. Return flight on B767 with overhead screens with no choice of inflight entertainment, screens old and poorly spaced made viewing entertainment a bit of a challenge. Both aircraft's were clean with inflight magazine and the usual seatback options. No amenity kits, just headphones, pillow and blanket. Boarding at LHR slow and delayed due to late arrival of incoming aircraft. Security checks very through, staff ok. Meal Service was slow as there seemed to be a huge number of "Special" meals that had to be distributed before the main service started. Quite a bit of hand luggage slowed down getting on and off the plane - also no formal boarding process just a first come first served. Outbound flight late, inbound flight more or less on time.

EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  28 February 2012 by M Shilkrut (USA)

EWR-TLV, economy, B777-200. The cheapest flight on this route. Check-in was fast, but boarding was slow and the security officer rude and pointless. Plane left 45 mins late but arrived on time. Seat was comfortable with enough space. Food was delicious, especially the breakfast. The entertainment was not as extensive as other Asian carriers. Flight attendants were responsive and present in the cabin during this long flight.

EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  28 February 2012 by A Septi (Israel)

I have flown El Al many times, both TLV-JFK and TLV-Europe. In terms of legroom, while flights between Israel and the US may be a bit tight, I have found on all of my flights to Europe that there is plenty of legroom. The menu has been upgraded in the past few years and the food is excellent. The crew are very attentive to passengers' needs.

EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  16 February 2012 by S Crocker (Australia)

Sydney-Bangkok on Thai, Bangkok-Tel Aviv on El Al - I saw a great contrast. The worst thing apart from long security checks was the minimal seating space. Back of seat pockets hanging off, in-seat screen stopped working within 30 mins, passengers congregate in the aisles. No safety info, some of the "waitresses" rather haughty. No-one was rude but the whole trip was a cramped, overly warm experience that ideally demonstrated why the name "cattle class" was invented.

EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  6 December 2011 by Lloyd Rosenberg (USA)

The seats were very narrow and uncomfortable and leg room was the same on my flight from New York to Tel Aviv on a 777 jet. The food was good for airline food and the service was good.

EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  17 November 2011 by Harry Aronowicz (Canada)

TLV-YYZ. Flight on time, clean plane, spacious comfortable seat. Nice food, pleasant crew. Seat did not have video screen but portable "vidibox" was offered which was an acceptable alternative. In any case, prefer to sleep during night flight then watching movies.

EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  14 November 2011 by Sandy Socal (USA)

Please note most of the good reviews are for Business Class - this is no accident. The economy seating is extremely poor in comparison to many international carriers I've flown. My knees were touching the seat in front before seat was reclined! On the 16 hour flight between Los Angeles and Tel Aviv, El Al kept the cabin lights dim and enforced all window shades shut for 14 hours. I have to concur with previous posters about the lack of decorum: some passengers insisted on fully reclining their seats during meals and landing. Strangely, flight attendants seemed fearful of some of these people and would not confront them.

EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  1 October 2011 by J Brown (UK)

Business Class from London to Tel Aviv. Check-in was located in a new area with security lane directly into the duty free shopping area. Staff were thorough and polite. Aircraft was 90 mins late leaving. I was sitting on the lower deck of the 747 with a 2x3x2 configuration. New seating in 'shells' meant there was no reclining seat annoyance. The angle of seat recline and general comfort was poor and I could not get comfortable. Choice of beef, chicken or fish with no menu, I opted for the fish which was reasonable. Flight attendants pleasant. Immigration at Tel Aviv easy as I was first off the aircraft and luggage soon followed. In summary everything was fine apart from the uncomfortable seats.

EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  12 September 2011 by K Hopkinson (UK)

Flew from London. Security staff split my partner and I up and questioned us at length, they then called us into a side room just before boarding to search our hand luggage. By the end of a long day's travel I felt stressed and miserable. I understand the need for security but there was no attempt at service. The flight itself was ok and the food nice. But as someone else noted they do not observe inflight safety procedures, bags are left in aisles and emergency procedures not demonstrated. The in cabin atmosphere was pretty chaotic. That will be the first and last time I fly El Al.

EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  21 August 2011 by R Taylor (USA)

Business class was wonderful, friendly service from NY to Tel Aviv. Seat was not flat, but I slept for 8 hrs. Food was great and Business was worth the price.

EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  29 July 2011 by B Namsil (USA)

Newark-Tel Aviv, B777-200, Business Class. Very professional and attentive crew. Excellent food service. Comfortable seat but not fully flat nor anything outstanding. Entertainment system with good selection. In summary, a good recommended travel experience.

EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  25 July 2011 by Leonard Fagan (USA)

Outstanding flight from TLV to CDG. Upgraded to Business Class from Economy for $100/seat. Service was excellent. Cabin was clean. Flight attendants excellent.

EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  6 July 2011 by Daniel Rubiniak (Israel)

Roundtrip TLV-AMS-TLV, both trips on a new 738. Check In reasonably efficient, FA's enthusiastic, tasty meals although very limited choice as the same two dishes were offered in both flights, and beyond all, the flight was offered for the most competitive price., All in all, a good and worthy experience.

EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  29 June 2011 by MW Studer (Austria)

VIE-TLV-VIE on a Boeing 737-800, seats comfy, meal sufficient and almost tasty. We booked El Al because it was more than 200 Euros cheaper than Austrian Airlines. We didn't worry about the security before we got to the airport, as Israeli friends have told us that we would be asked some questions about security matters only. In the end we spent about 1 hour at the check-in counter, telling some young security guy about our private lives and personal relationship. As non-Israelis we were questioned separately and our "stories" were put together afterwards. Telling so much about your private live to some 20 year old security guy is not worth saving 200 Euros.

EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  18 June 2011 by E Cristol (USA)

Probably one of the worst Economy Class cabins I flew. They pack you in like sardines so you are out of luck whether you are in a window or an Aisle seat. Food is horrid, service is not rude, but sort of non existent. I enjoyed Israel a lot, and found that the airline does not represent the country well. The security part was actually not too bad, but the flight was hot, cramped and rather unpleasant.

EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  6 June 2011 by Sharon Bebek (USA)

Aside from some of the worst service inflight, El Al let my cat loose on the tarmac at Ben Gurion airport. When calling their lost and found call centre, I was told by a representative that a lost suitcase has a higher priority than finding a family cat. Their actions display a lack of regard for life, period. Unlike people in Israel, those of us from the United States love and respect our family pets.

EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  29 April 2011 by Richard Edmondson (New Zealand)

We visited the Middle East in May 2011. Before leaving New Zealand, we made bookings with El Al (via the Web) to fly Tel Aviv to Cairo. When we arrived at the airport to check in for the flight, El Al staff informed us that the flight had been cancelled. They arranged for us to fly to Cairo via Amman with Royal Jordanian the same day, but we are cross that they didn't bother to inform us of the cancellation. The booking was made in September 2010 and they had an email address to reach us at.

EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  29 April 2011 by P Koch (USA)

EWR-TLV, B777 business class, fantastic staff, good food. Business class seats not comfortable for 12 hour flight TLV-JFK on old 747 business class. Food good and nice staff, nice lounges in Newark and TLV.

EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  28 April 2011 by Matthew Snowling (UK)

BRU-TLV-BRU Economy. I fly this route regularly and on the two very rare occasions I saw this flight cheaper than Brussels Airlines, I chose it. Never again! On all 4 legs of the flight I was treated like a criminal by ELAL security, the front room staff are rude, ask the same questions without listening to the answer, they left me in a room for over an hour each time and failed to advise why. I appreciate security is very much needed, but it must be professional. Israelis were barely checked! The plane was old, service awful, noisy and safety terrible as airline regulations not enforced, such as bags in emergency exits and people removing bags on landing!

EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  27 March 2011 by J May (USA)

JFK-TLV. Security top notch, food pretty good and I found flight attendants attentive, but the seats on both the 777 and 747 were horrible - the tightest I've ever had to endure. Unless they reconfigure seating, I'll never fly El Al again.

EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  23 March 2011 by A Paull (USA)

TLV-JFK. Flight was overbooked and denied boarding even though we were on a tour. I understand this is a common occurrence and that Israelis are given preference over residence of other countries. El Al wanted to place us on standby even though there were seats in business and 1st class. EL AL wanted to place us on the 600am flight from TLV to Barcelona with transfer to AA plane to JFK. So instead of arriving 600am we would arrive 300pm with no sleep. Not acceptable. Wanted to purchase 1st class ticket, EL Al did not want to sell. Finally convinced El AL to sell me the 1st class tickets. Once I became a paying passenger, I guess a group ticket does not count as a paying passenger, attitudes change and El AL became friendly. Flight was pleasant, lots of space, seats folded flat, FA attentive. Unless you fly business or 1st class, cannot recommend this airline.

EL AL Israel Airlines customer review :  7 January 2011 by Kathryn Coke (USA)

LAX to TLV recently, and the worst flight I've ever been on. Bad leg room, terrible food, and an elderly lady next to me trying to take over half my seat, I've come to expect nothing more from most flights. What I do care about is the careless way they treated my luggage. All of my luggage except for my violin were messed up (and I mean messed up) when I got them back.