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EL AL: Expert advice and recommendations

Expert travel writer Emily Zemler shares all you need to know before booking a flight with EL AL.
Emily Zemler
October 21, 2024

Israel’s flag carrier EL AL is based out of Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport. It serves destinations around the world, including in Europe, the U.S., and Africa. Because of its origin country, the airline follows Jewish tradition by serving only kosher food onboard and in the lounges, and by not operating during Shabbat or Jewish holidays. Passengers unfamiliar with these traditions can experience some culture shock when flying. Here’s what you need to know.

Fare classes on EL AL

EL AL has three classes: economy, premium, and business. Economy offers several fare types, which impact your baggage allowance and seat choice. Premium is only offered on specific aircraft, but it can be a great option for longer flights if you don’t want to splurge on business class.

Economy class

EL AL’s most basic fare class is economy, which is comparable to that on most European airlines. There are three fare types: Lite, Classic, and Flex. These impact how many bags you can bring and check. In economy, the availability of seatback screens depends on the aircraft type, and some planes have USB ports and power outlets for travelers.

The food in economy tends to be relatively basic, although it does highlight Israeli cuisine and flavors. Flights to Europe include a choice of sandwich, while longer international flights feature full meals. On flights longer than seven hours, you can expect a second meal before landing.

All meals and drinks served on EL AL are kosher, although passengers can request special meals, including vegan and vegetarian. You are allowed to bring your own food onboard, but I recommend being considerate of Jewish tradition when packing snacks or meals.

Premium class

Premium class is located in a smaller cabin in between economy and business on EL AL’s Dreamliner and upgraded 777 aircraft. The seats are similar to those in economy, but have more space and a more extended recline, as well as a footrest. The seatback screeners are also slightly larger, which can make a long flight more bearable. The fare includes additional checked luggage.

The food in premium is higher end than the options in economy, with passengers on flights longer than seven hours offered two meals. The meals include wine and alcoholic drinks. The dining choices are not the best reason to upgrade, but the smaller cabin and more spacious seats can make a big difference on an overnight journey.

Business class

EL AL’s top fare class is business, which is notably comfortable on the Dreamliner and upgraded 777 planes. The lay-flat seats are built into private compartments, which allows for privacy and much-needed space, and have good entertainment systems with large, HD touchscreens. Business travelers get TUMI amenity kits with Rituals Cosmetics products. On the 777 and 737 planes, business features more traditional seats with extended recline.

Business class passengers can use express check-in. You also get a larger checked luggage allowance and lounge access, which is available both at Ben Gurion Airport and at international airports. The meals are similar to those offered in premium, with wine and alcoholic drinks included.

Those traveling in economy can bid to upgrade their ticket to business or premium ahead of a flight. You get to choose how much you want to bid up to 24 hours before flying, which can be a great way to boost yourself into a higher fare class. Frequent Flyer Club members can also use points to upgrade.

Entertainment and Wi-Fi

El Al flights all offer in-flight entertainment, although only specific planes have seatback screens. Passengers can expect individual screens on the 787 Dreamliners and the upgraded 777 aircraft, while other aircraft provide streaming services on personal devices. Streaming can be used on smartphones, tablets, and laptops, so it’s best to ensure you have a charged device before boarding if you want to watch movies or TV shows.

Only some El Al flights have Wi-Fi services enabled. It’s available for a fee on flights to and from Europe, the Middle East, and North America, and can be used on the 787 Dreamliners, as well as on some of the 737 and 777 planes. Passengers can opt for one of three plans: Basic, Social, and Business. The cost varies based on where you are flying and which plan you want to use. Basic and Social plans can only be used on smartphones and tablets, not laptops.

Baggage allowance

Luggage allowance on EL AL can be slightly confusing. The amount of bags you can check depends on your class and fare type. In economy, only Classic and Flex fares include a checked bag. To check additional bags, passengers need to pre-order the luggage allowance. The fees can vary based on your destination. Premium class passengers are allowed two checked bags of up to 23 kg per bag, while business class passengers can check two bags of up to 32 kg per bag.

Carry-on bags also vary based on your fare type. Lite and Classic passengers get one carry-on up to 8 kg, while Flex passengers can bring two carry-on bags, but they can’t exceed 12 kg in total. Premium passengers can also bring two, up to 12 kg in total, while business passengers get two, up to 20 kg in total.

Everyone is allowed one personal bag, which is a purse, backpack, or laptop bag. I recommend looking at your booking very carefully to ensure you meet the luggage requirements for your specific ticket.

Seat selection and check-in

Check-in for all flights on EL AL is available 24 hours before departure. Passengers can usually check in online, although it’s also possible to wait to check in at the airport. Seat selection can also be tricky on EL AL. There are several types of economy seats, and each type is available to specific fare types.

If you are flying Classic or Flex, you can select a seat ahead of flying. Flex passengers can choose a “Front Zone” seat or “Extra Space Seat,” located in the bulkhead or exit row, for free.” Lite travelers need to pay to choose a seat. There are also “EL AL Space Seats,” which have extended legroom.

The prices can vary based on the flight, so it’s best to log on to your online booking to check for specific fees. If you opt not to pay the fee, you will be allocated a seat, which can be stressful for some people. On long-haul flights, it’s worth paying extra for that coveted window or aisle.

Orthodox Jews are strict about praying and likely will pray on longer flights on EL AL. This tends to happen towards the back of the plane, usually in the aircraft galleys, and can be disruptive if you’re trying to sleep. I recommend booking a seat closer to the front of economy or away from a galley if you don’t plan to participate in the prayer.

Boarding process

Boarding on EL AL is by class and loyalty status. Those in economy who want to board more quickly can pay to add priority boarding to their ticket. It’s a relatively cheap fee and can be useful if you have carry-on luggage you want to stow, or if you prefer to be on the plane early. It’s easy to add to your booking online ahead of a flight.

When departing Tel Aviv, passengers should expect a lot of security measures, including additional questioning ahead of boarding. Be sure to give yourself plenty of time in the airport for security, passport checks, and boarding. It’s standard procedure at Ben Gurion, so even if it feels unusually stringent there’s no reason for concern.

EL AL lounges

In Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport, EL AL has their own King David lounge for business class passengers and specific members of the airline’s loyalty program. The lounge can be found in Terminal 3 in the Departures Hall and is open to travelers three hours before their flight.

The lounge at Ben Gurion is kosher, which means that you can’t bring in outside food or drink, which is an important thing for passengers to keep in mind. The lounge isn’t open on Jewish holidays or during Shabbat, which is held every Friday evening through Saturday night. This doesn’t usually impact travelers since EL AL doesn’t operate flights during this time or on the Jewish holidays.

EL AL passengers can use partner lounges in global airports, including in New York’s JFK Airport, Paris’ Charles de Gaulle, and London’s Heathrow. Information on other lounges can be found on the airline’s website, although not every airport offers travelers access to an equivalent lounge.

Loyalty program

EL AL’s loyalty program is called the Matmid Frequent Flyer Club. The program has four status ties: Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Top Platinum. Each offers specific benefits to frequent flyers, including lounge access, upgrades, priority boarding, and extra luggage. EL AL has codeshare agreements with several airlines, which allows travelers to earn points in the reciprocal frequent flyer programs. These are Delta Air Lines, Virgin Atlantic, Etihad, Aero-Mexico, and Qantas.

Unless you live in Israel or regularly travel there, it’s probably not worth focusing on status in the Matmid Frequent Flyer Club. International travelers should instead keep their miles and status goals on airlines they regularly travel. For example, Delta status members will get points for flying EL AL.

This KAYAK-commissioned article is presented as-is, for general informational purposes only, and may not be up-to-date. The opinions contained in the article are original to the author and reflect their authentic experience, which may vary significantly from the experience of others. Find more perspectives in our user reviews below.

FAQs about flying with EL AL

  • What is EL AL's carry-on size allowance?

    On board EL AL flights, cabin baggage should not exceed 22x17x9in. If your hand luggage is bigger, the EL AL assistance team will most likely ask you to pay extra for checked luggage.

  • Where does EL AL fly to?

    EL AL offers direct flights to 35 cities in 20 different countries. Tel Aviv, Paris, and Athens are the most popular cities covered by EL AL.

  • What is EL AL’s primary hub?

    EL AL concentrates most of its flight operations in Tel Aviv.

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on EL AL flights?

    KAYAK is a travel search engine, meaning that we continuously look across the web to find the best deals for our users. With over 2 billion flight queries processed yearly, we are able to display a variety of prices and options on flights from all airlines, including EL AL.

  • What’s the cheapest route that EL AL flies?

    In the last 72 hours, the cheapest route flown by EL AL found on KAYAK was from Tel Aviv to Larnaca, with a price of $123 for a round-trip.

  • What are the most popular airports for EL AL flights to depart from?

  • Is EL AL part of an airline alliance?

    No, EL AL is not part of an airline alliance.

  • How many destinations does EL AL fly to?

    In total, EL AL flies to 36 destinations.

EL AL customer reviews

7.8
GoodBased on 532 verified guest reviews
7.3Entertainment
7.5Comfort
7.8Boarding
8.3Crew
6.9Food

Traveler rating:
Sort by:
O
10.0 Wonderful
TLV-HKT
Great!
A
8.0 Very good
TLV-EWR
crownded flihgt, use the self check in and bag drop service it saves 80% of waiting time!
S
10.0 Wonderful
FCO-TLV
Overall very nice
V
4.0 Mediocre
MUC-TLV
90 minutes late, this sums it all
A
10.0 Wonderful
LHR-TLV
Flight board quickly and arrived on time!
G
10.0 Wonderful
JFK-TLV
The crew were incredible, especially with how unruly many of the travelers were. Loved the pots and hummus and the food in general. The leg room in economy was plentiful, which was a very pleasant surprise!
V
10.0 Wonderful
SOF-TLV
Good service, no delays or waiting
A
10.0 Wonderful
AUH-MEL
It was actually Etihad
N
4.0 Mediocre
TLV-BCN
Did not expect too much, but an initiative to serve a small water bottle without asking for it would be appreciated. A small snack pack would be very nice too. Coffe any one?. Yes - you'll get an over heated chicken sandwich as the on board meal. Sorry - nothing to write home about.
O
8.0 Very good
TLV-ZRH
The crew was fantastic, and it was croweded but roomy enough. But the sandwich was horrible and no entertainment at all which is difficult in a flight of more than 4 hours.

EL AL flight status

Fri 5/2

EL AL route map - Which destinations does EL AL fly to?

Find out which destinations you can fly to direct with EL AL by entering your departure airport. If you want to know if EL AL flies a certain route, enter both the departure and destination airport before hitting search.
Fri 5/2

All EL AL flight routes

Flight #Departure AirportArrival AirportDurationSunMonTueWedThuFriSat
387Tel Aviv (TLV)Milan (MXP)4h 10m
357Tel Aviv (TLV)Frankfurt am Main (FRA)4h 30m
358Frankfurt am Main (FRA)Tel Aviv (TLV)4h 5m
5221Tel Aviv (TLV)Rhodes (RHO)1h 35m
5222Rhodes (RHO)Tel Aviv (TLV)1h 30m
348Zurich (ZRH)Tel Aviv (TLV)3h 55m
223Tel Aviv (TLV)Nice (NCE)4h 15m
224Nice (NCE)Tel Aviv (TLV)3h 40m
393Tel Aviv (TLV)Barcelona (BCN)4h 40m
1Tel Aviv (TLV)New York (JFK)11h 50m
552Sofia (SOF)Tel Aviv (TLV)2h 25m
551Tel Aviv (TLV)Sofia (SOF)2h 40m
28Newark (EWR)Tel Aviv (TLV)10h 25m
376Lisbon (LIS)Tel Aviv (TLV)5h 10m
5Tel Aviv (TLV)Los Angeles (LAX)14h 55m
322Marseille (MRS)Tel Aviv (TLV)3h 50m
106Los Angeles (LAX)Tel Aviv (TLV)13h 55m
327Tel Aviv (TLV)Paris (CDG)5h 0m
328Paris (CDG)Tel Aviv (TLV)4h 25m
5108Tbilisi (TBS)Tel Aviv (TLV)2h 40m
5107Tel Aviv (TLV)Tbilisi (TBS)2h 30m
5120Krakow (KRK)Tel Aviv (TLV)3h 20m
314London (LTN)Tel Aviv (TLV)4h 50m
4New York (JFK)Tel Aviv (TLV)10h 21m
354Munich (MUC)Tel Aviv (TLV)3h 40m
2373Tel Aviv (TLV)Berlin (BER)4h 15m
313Tel Aviv (TLV)London (LTN)5h 25m
572Bucharest (OTP)Tel Aviv (TLV)2h 30m
2374Berlin (BER)Tel Aviv (TLV)4h 0m
339Tel Aviv (TLV)Amsterdam (AMS)5h 5m
15Tel Aviv (TLV)Boston (BOS)11h 40m
16Boston (BOS)Tel Aviv (TLV)10h 0m
321Tel Aviv (TLV)Marseille (MRS)4h 25m
25Tel Aviv (TLV)Newark (EWR)11h 45m
286Rome (FCO)Tel Aviv (TLV)3h 25m
317Tel Aviv (TLV)London (LHR)5h 25m
347Tel Aviv (TLV)Zurich (ZRH)4h 20m
316London (LHR)Tel Aviv (TLV)4h 55m
336Amsterdam (AMS)Tel Aviv (TLV)4h 35m
82Bangkok (BKK)Tel Aviv (TLV)10h 55m
383Tel Aviv (TLV)Rome (FCO)3h 40m
375Tel Aviv (TLV)Lisbon (LIS)6h 0m
395Tel Aviv (TLV)Madrid (MAD)5h 20m
396Madrid (MAD)Tel Aviv (TLV)4h 35m
2521Tel Aviv (TLV)Prague (PRG)4h 5m
546Athens (ATH)Tel Aviv (TLV)1h 55m
545Tel Aviv (TLV)Athens (ATH)2h 15m
2522Prague (PRG)Tel Aviv (TLV)3h 50m
81Tel Aviv (TLV)Bangkok (BKK)11h 40m
364Vienna (VIE)Tel Aviv (TLV)3h 25m
363Tel Aviv (TLV)Vienna (VIE)3h 45m
91Tel Aviv (TLV)Tokyo (NRT)12h 5m
5115Tel Aviv (TLV)Batumi (BUS)2h 15m
5116Batumi (BUS)Tel Aviv (TLV)2h 15m
282Milan (MXP)Tel Aviv (TLV)3h 45m
394Barcelona (BCN)Tel Aviv (TLV)4h 5m
351Tel Aviv (TLV)Munich (MUC)4h 5m
5134Larnaca (LCA)Tel Aviv (TLV)1h 5m
5133Tel Aviv (TLV)Larnaca (LCA)1h 5m
5463Tel Aviv (TLV)Porto (OPO)6h 0m
5467Tel Aviv (TLV)Tivat (TIV)3h 0m
5468Tivat (TIV)Tel Aviv (TLV)2h 40m
289Tel Aviv (TLV)Venice (VCE)3h 55m
2367Tel Aviv (TLV)Budapest (BUD)3h 25m
92Tokyo (NRT)Tel Aviv (TLV)13h 10m
22Fort Lauderdale (FLL)Tel Aviv (TLV)11h 55m
5257Tel Aviv (TLV)Mykonos (JMK)2h 15m
21Tel Aviv (TLV)Fort Lauderdale (FLL)13h 30m
5258Mykonos (JMK)Tel Aviv (TLV)2h 0m
571Tel Aviv (TLV)Bucharest (OTP)2h 45m
17Tel Aviv (TLV)Miami (MIA)13h 15m
5464Porto (OPO)Tel Aviv (TLV)5h 20m
2366Budapest (BUD)Tel Aviv (TLV)3h 5m
972Dubai (DXB)Tel Aviv (TLV)3h 30m
18Miami (MIA)Tel Aviv (TLV)11h 55m
971Tel Aviv (TLV)Dubai (DXB)3h 20m
5102Warsaw (WAW)Tel Aviv (TLV)3h 40m
88Phuket City (HKT)Tel Aviv (TLV)10h 40m
5128Chisinau (RMO)Tel Aviv (TLV)2h 50m
5245Tel Aviv (TLV)Thessaloniki (SKG)2h 35m
5127Tel Aviv (TLV)Chisinau (RMO)3h 0m
5246Thessaloniki (SKG)Tel Aviv (TLV)2h 15m
5196Belgrade (BEG)Tel Aviv (TLV)2h 55m
5195Tel Aviv (TLV)Belgrade (BEG)3h 5m
More flight routes

EL AL contact information

Overview of EL AL

Controlling operations out of a hub in Tel Aviv, EL AL flies to more than 30 countries across the Middle East, North America, Europe, Africa and Asia. A strong focus of the network is connecting Israel to the north through gateway destinations across Germany, France, Italy and the United Kingdom.

Recognized as the official flag carrier of Israel, it serves an entirely kosher menu of meals onboard. Sun d’Or operates as a subsidiary of the larger carrier and concentrates efforts on providing seasonal services to vacation destinations, such as Croatia, Greece and Spain. Codeshare agreements with airlines, such as Air China, S7 Airlines, Iberia and American Airlines, offer a wider-spanning network of connected flights.

You can choose between Economy and Business Class on all EL AL flights, with Premium Economy also available on services operated by wide-body jets. Customers in all cabin classes have access to USB and power sockets. Seats in Premium Economy have inbuilt footrests, while those in Business Class extend to a 78 in flat bed. The Business Class experience includes the option of choosing an isolated window seat or larger shared central spot that comes with a privacy divider.

Boeing is the preferred manufacturer, with their aircraft making up the entire fleet. Models such as the 787-9 and 737-800 are some of the most commonly flown. A simple blue and white design decorates the fleet with the Star of David painted on the tail. A unique 787 Dreamliner has an old-fashioned retro livery, while all planes are named after Israeli cities, which is printed underneath the cockpit window.

Everything you need to know about EL AL flights

EL AL information

IATA CodeLY
Routes69
Top routeParis Charles de Gaulle Airport to Tel Aviv
Airports served36
Top airportTel Aviv Ben Gurion Intl
Flight status, cancellation and delay data provided by Flightstats.com. Flightstats data may not always be accurate or error free. Always confirm the information provided here directly with your airline.