El Al Israel Airlines

✅ Trip Verified | El Al has the best Premium Economy product on this route, US carriers don't compare to the seat pitch, width and comfort, impeccable service from the flight crew , the food served on china, a large selection of IFE, and even the goodie bags. I like the curtain they use to cut off this section from economy.

✅ Trip Verified | Complete lack of customer service. If you book and need any support, forget it. Web Booking was relatively easy, but after that forget it. Web logon as a user just doesn't work and cant reset a password by any method. WhatsApp doesn't work just get in a loop with the bot that refers to the call center Call center - no chance of an answer - I received a call back after three days and was on hold for 20 minutes with no answer! I guess I wont be able to get a call back from a human. I thought to give ELAL a second chance after they cancelled a flight on me 2 months ago with only 2 days warning, but now I cancelled a flight due to warnings of pilot strikes - received a coupon after 2 days but I want a refund. By law refunds are available - but there are no automated web or app buttons that work for that option (I wonder why?). Low cost airlines give much better service. ELAL get your act together!

Not Verified | Wish I had read the comments on here before booking with El Al. This was hands down the worst experience I have had on any airline ever. It is virtually impossible to speak to anyone on the phone at El Al. Online booking system was relatively straight forward and even booked and paid for exit row seats. Flight departure time changed one week out from departure. Exit row seats not honoured at online checkin. Blatantly lied to at check in with assurances that we had just been moved to different exit row seats - the new seats were not exit row seats. Delayed or deliberately withheld my bag from the flight and only delivered the bag 2 days later. Impossible to contact anyone from El Al and the WhatsApp option is just a joke. Food terrible, service terrible and toilets disgusting. Thankfully it was only 3 hours of hell. There is not much to like about this airline. Flight times on this route are also elongated by about 30 min as compared to non-Israeli airlines due to geo-political concerns for Israeli flagged carriers.

✅ Trip Verified | Troubles start when you try to contact them: call center is open only in the morning of working days. They suggest you to use their whatsapp H24 contact that is a total mess: you spent hours with the system asking your name again and again with no solution at all. Their app is not working at all, only a beautiful screen with a pic of the sky. So if you do online check-in you must print boarding card on paper, as pdf on smartphone is not contemplated. It is mandatory to be at the airport 4 four before scheduled departure, also if you have only hand baggage and have check-in done. At the airport you have to go through different counters, which aim is not clear, but still you are at the gate 3 hours prior to takeoff. Gates have not enough seats for all people waiting for the flight. Only at the moment of scheduled boarding time the flight was delayed 90 minutes. Later, they changed four times the gate of departure. At the new boarding time the crew was not yet on board, they arrived with no hurry 10 minutes later. So takeoff was with 120 minutes of delay. Once on board, just a "sorry for the delay" from the captain, no reason provided at all. Cabin service was rude, food on board (4 hour flight) was a sandwich with a very small bottle of water. It was my first and last experience with them. Low cost service at full service fares.

Not Verified | El Al is simply the worst airline I've ever been on. Even before the flight I was experiencing major problems with them. First I booked from TLV to EWR and I paid for extra legroom. The first thing they did was switch the time of departure by a few hours. Then they downgraded my seat after paying for one. And finally they switched the airport where I was supposed to be landing and taking which for me is not a feasible option. They simply changed every detail of the flight without some sort of compensation or communication. I tried calling their customer service and after an hour someone picks up and I explain to them what the situation is and they put me on hold again and never returned. I tried calling them multiple times but they don't answer their customers. On board the staff was rude and unpleasant making this entire ordeal miserable.

Not Verified | Unfortunately El Al just can’t seem to get their business in order. I booked a return flight to Dubai and last minute (literally the day before I returned) El Al changed my flight time from the evening to the middle of the day, which meant I was unable to complete my meetings and work as planned. There was no offer of an alternative flight, or compensation, and I was only aware of the time change due to spending hours trying to contact their customer service only to be cut off (while I was paying international charges) 6 times. I didn’t receive a text, email or call to let me know of this change. Once I boarded the plane it was clear something strange was going on, I was on the only woman on the flight, other than the staff. Travelling solo as a British person but an Israeli citizen I found the experience horrible and overwhelming. The plane had been booked out for a male company trip and I was one of very few passengers who weren’t part of the company. I sat squeezed behind a row of men who were far too large for their seats and was squashed, pushed and shoved the entire journey. When I asked if they could stop, I was ridiculed. The plane was obscenely loud as they all shouted across rows to one another while the staff did nothing to stop this, with no regard for the passengers outside of their organisation on the plane. The men were rude, offensive and the whole experience was traumatic. As someone who moved to Israel and travels multiple times a month, El Al should be the go-to airline but unfortunately it’s a total shambles. Don’t fly with them, it was a horrible experience and one I won’t be having ever again. I highly advise using any other airline to fly anywhere to or from Israel.

✅ Trip Verified | Don't bother with premium on El Al. The airline provided has no dedicated check in for premium seat holders. Premium seat holders get no preference in boarding and staff allows all upper stowage to be utilised by none premium seat holders. Took 3 hours to pass security and check in (and I pre checked - of no use). Worst airline ever.

✅ Trip Verified | We got to the airport early so check in was quick. I am not a huge fan of El Al as have had bad experiences, but this time the staff were friendly and helpful. All went smoothly. The entertainment was good with a fair selection. The meal served was good for economy plane food. They don't advertise that hot drinks and soft drinks and snacks are served in the back kitchen I only know this from recent flights with them. The seats on El Al are always cramped. We were given blankets. All in all a good flight no one was rude all the staff helpful.

✅ Trip Verified | I flew El Al about 10 years ago and vowed to never again, but didn’t have much choice today, but I wish I’d used literally any other option. El Al staff are the rudest I’ve ever dealt with, anywhere. They left us stranded in Madrid Airport, after not updating their website they tell you to read with on covid entry rules before they changed, and not providing any warming that they were changing. Yesterday (and every other day we checked prior), it said an antigen test was okay to board, plus you have to book a PCR at Tel Aviv airport to do when you land (which we had). We checked the rules again before we left, went and got an antigen test, and set off on our journey to Tel Aviv, via Lisbon and Madrid, for a very special occasion. By the time we got to Madrid the rules had changed, with no warning given at all. They were beyond rude, unhelpful, blaming Iberia for letting us get there and offering beyond less than zero assistance. I really don’t have words. The manager was utterly awful. One of the worst humans I’ve ever had the misfortune to encounter. They just said to go speak with Iberia, even though I booked it all with them. You can’t contact customer services either and just wait and wait. It’s hopeless. Do yourself a favour and avoid at all cost. Any other option I’d better then El Al. Any at all.

Not Verified | I’ll never recommend this airline! Very rude control before check in the luggage. I needed to fly to Dubai from Milan via Tel Aviv. In Milan I met this person who checked me and under all pressure of the security I denied to fly and cancelled my tickets. I’ve never met so rude people. They humiliated me as a woman, and I was treated so bad. They asked me so many private questions, about my family, work. They checked me 30 mins. In the end I just refused to fly, because they told me that I can fly just with my wallet and phone. Terrible service. This is not how’s support to be. Please don’t fly with this airplane, if you don’t want to be humiliated.