El Al Israel Airlines

✅ Trip Verified | Sofia to Tel Aviv. I haven't experienced such a poor customer service so far. During the security screening process I received completely unprofessional treatment, this person was asking me questions and after each question was leaving me alone and was going to consult his supervisor for further steps. Therefore the procedure was very long and humiliating. I was travelling with 4 friends for holidays from Sofia to Israel on 2nd of November 2018 Friday with a flight LY0552 at 11:55. After the admission interviews we have checked-in together, therefore the company representative who attended us checked my luggage under the name of one of my friends by mistake. So basically my luggage was registered under the name of Nikoleta Boerikova. Prior the boarding the security informed my friend Nikoleta that they have removed few items from her bag for further checks and they were going to send her the stuff in a separate box once we would arrive on the airport in Israel . We have arrived on the Ben Gurion Airport around 14:20 and we didn't receive any box with the missing items. Nikoleta claimed the missing box thinking that this was part of her luggage(Attached the number of the report filled on the airport ). After we have left the airport and went to the hotel. As soon as I arrived in the hotel I have noticed that all my cosmetics , perfume Bulgari and black swimming suit were missing from my luggage and immediately realized that the removed items were from my luggage not from Nikoleta's one. Respectively we have noticed that on my luggage there was a sticker with the name of Nikoleta Boerikova and on her briefcase there was my name instead. During my vacations I had no cosmetics and no swimming suit because they have removed the most important things for a traveling person on vacations and on top of everything you have registered my luggage under the name of another person. I have claimed the missing items 1 week ago and still pending at least an answer! I am extremely disappointed! This is unacceptable service.

✅ Trip Verified | New York to Tel Aviv. I don't recommend El Al to anyone, the service is really bad. They broke my bag and there is no one to whom to talk too.

✅ Trip Verified | We just flew business, seats 2C&D on one of the new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and were extremely happy. Service was excellent. Lie flat seats excellent. VOD although not as good as Singapore Airlines nonetheless was very good. We've flown Singapore Airlines many times and El Al much to their credit has upped their game substantially and is on their way towards being a top 50 or even top 20 airlines! Food was delicious. El Al has ordered a total of 18 Dreamliners and as these become available the reviews will soar. The last time we flew on El Al was 10 years ago and at that time it was awful. Great to see it's turned it around big time! Boarding at JFK was unorganized and a joke. Boarding at Ben Gurion airport was smooth!

Not Verified | 12 hour flight delay due to cabin crew strike. Had we been informed early enough we would have stayed in Barcelona. We were not allowed out of the airport. Limited food, blankets, pillows were available. Angry emotions caused stressful environment. We lost a big chunk of time on our 1st visit to Israel. We have made numerous attempts to connect with customer support to obtain recompense for the loss. We were hoping to get this taken care of while still in the country. We have received no word in regard to this matter. We were approached by several disgruntled passengers who were filing a lawsuit with EL Al as they said “this happens all of the time” Hopefully, we are contacted soon in regard to restitution.

✅ Trip Verified | Tel Aviv to Barcelona. This is the new flagship of El Al, replacing aircraft like the 767 and 747. the configuration is 3x3x3 and the seats are nice and comfortable. Entertainment systems is very good with a wide screen and the basic WIFI is free. service was very good.

✅ Trip Verified | Tel Aviv to Luton. The crew were not informative in the slightest. My flight was delayed an hour which is an inconvenience but not their fault. The reason I was annoyed is due to the lack of information and updates we (the passengers) received. No one told us that we were delayed, why we were delayed, there was no approximation of when we were going to take off and additionally I even asked a member of staff why we were delayed and that person response was that she didn’t know and will ask. She never got back to me. The next Inconvenience was the temperature of the airplane. As a passenger you had no control of the air con above you. They’re constantly blasting cold air on you the entire flight (which isn’t ideal when you have a sore throat). Again I asked why the air con has to be so high as I felt that it was unhealthy. A crew member said they would ask and get back to me and they never got back to me. Finally, while a stewardess was bringing round a trolley of soft drinks, I asked if there’s any tea available (as the air con was affecting my sore throat). She said that she’d come back and bring me some once she’d finished serving everyone. As you’d expect, no tea was brought to me. Thankfully soon after the flight landed, clapping ensued by I did not participate due to the poor quality in service throughout the flight. Ultimately I wouldn’t recommend flying with with El Al and will not be flying with them myself. Which is a shame as I want to support Israli companies but I just can’t overlook their incompetence. Other minor inconveniences which may be exclusive to my flight/plane: -No phone charger socket -They removed the wifi bundles which they had on my previous flight a few weeks ago. Furthermore,In order to access their entertainment system you need to have already downloaded their app (so they can use and sell your data for money). The main inconvenience with this was that I wasn’t informed about the app prior to my flight. I hope they take my feedback and criticism seriously and make the necessary changes to the training of their staff as well as their planes.

✅ Trip Verified | 2x3x2 configuration in the 777. Overall the aircraft looks ok, not the newest in the industry but OK. Entertainment system is a bit old but ok. Full flat bed but not the newest version and without privacy or cabin as we used to see in newest business class in the industry. Service was very good and professional. 2 meals served. 1 after take off - hot meal and breakfast before landing in Tel Aviv. Didn't try dinner but breakfast was good and above avg. I saw on the El Al web site they will change the aircraft soon to new 787-900 and this is a good news.

✅ Trip Verified | Prague to Tel Aviv. Horrible service. Provided them wil all the security details needed including: place of work, cards, IDs, certifications and they still had us investigated as if we were terrorists. They came back with new questions all the time and still after all questioning was done we had to wait and wait for too long. Our bags were opened and our dirty clothes and shoes were put took out of their bags and put on the clean ones. Worst flight ever. A nightmare!

Not Verified | Newark to Tel Aviv in June 2018 and return in August 2018 on the Boeing 787. Check-in at EWR was smooth after the compulsory security interrogation (I strongly recommended one arrives 3+ hours if flying El Al in order to complete the check-in process). My interrogation lasted 10 minutes and it helped I was traveling with a group to Israel. Everything on the plane both ways looked brand new and the IFE was fantastic and state-of-the-art. Flight attendants were friendly and attentive and responded quickly to call button requests. Food (two meals) on both flights were edible and alright (chose the chicken dish on both legs and it was alright). Dairy/"breakfast" meal was a choice of blintzes or an omelet on both flights as well. Chose the blintzes both times - they were nothing special but I was full from the previous meal. Check-in at Tel Aviv once past the initial security interrogation was fairly quick. My seat was assigned at the gate although they termed it as "standby," which makes me wonder if they didn't expect me to be on the plane due to extra security searches of my bags? I can only guess that. At the TLV gate, approached the desk to get a seat assignment as the flight was boarding. The first lady I approached hardly looked at the computer and my ticket and said: "it wasn't ready." I waited 15 minutes and without any announcement coming about "standby" passengers, I approached a different gate agent who promptly assigned me a seat. They could not fulfill my request for an aisle seat but the gate agent was gracious with his apology. On the return flight, I was seated next to an unaccompanied minor and the flight attendant was very attentive toward him, asking how he was and if he needed anything during the flight. El Al does have online check-in but it's useless if you are checking bags or have to go through extra security procedures. Overall, however the experience on the 787 was great and I did not mind the extra security situations that come with flying El Al. That said, I'm not sure if I'd want to fly on them on some of the older aircraft.

✅ Trip Verified | Tel Aviv to Vienna. The worst airline in the world; It is one thing to take security seriously, but to refuse to answer simple and righteous questions to why I am receiving an extra security check, violates my rights as a passenger and only suggests that staff, working for this airline, act extremely unprofessional and treat their passengers with absolutely zero human decency and respect. A passenger like myself, who has no history whatsoever, which could suggest a potential threat, deserves to be heard out, especially when the two companions, one of whom is my boyfriend, did not receive any kind of extra security checks. This airline treats their passengers like terrorists, without having any hint or evidence of any wrongdoing or criminal history. If you can avoid traveling with this airline, I would highly suggest you do so. This airline calls themselves safe and professional, but none of these values are taken into consideration.