EL AL Global Anmeldelser 

I recently flew with EL AL on flight LY374 from Porto (OPO) to Tel Aviv (TLV) on July 1st, 2026. This is a very long single-aisle flight lasting over 5.5 hours, and the experience was deeply disappointing.EL AL positions itself as a premium national carrier, but the reality on this route is unacceptable. The flight was operated by a 21-year-old Boeing 737-800 (registration 4X-EKO). The aircraft is completely worn out, outdated, and feels like an old, poorly maintained city bus rather than a modern airliner.The cabin conditions were terrible:Worn-out Seats: The seat cushions in the economy class were heavily compressed and completely sagging. Sitting in a deeply dented seat for more than 5 hours is painful.Cramped Space: The cabin is extremely tight and claustrophobic. Even though we paid an extra fee for extra legroom seats at the exit row (Seat 35C) just to get basic comfort, the overall layout of the aircraft felt incredibly cramped.Lack of Modern Amenities: There are no personal screens, no proper entertainment, and the overall cleanliness and look of the interior leave a strong feeling of a heavily used, neglected plane.An interesting detail about EL AL's customer service: On my previous flights with EL AL, whenever we flew on their newer Dreamliner aircraft, the company would promptly send out a post-flight satisfaction survey. Funnily enough, no survey was sent after this grueling flight. It seems the airline is fully aware of how awful their 737-800 fleet is and deliberately avoids asking passengers for feedback on these specific routes to keep their statistics clean.Spending 2 or 3 hours on such an old aircraft is tolerable, but sending a completely dilapidated 20-year-old short-haul plane on a grueling 5.5-hour night flight is disrespectful to paying passengers.If EL AL wants to maintain its premium reputation, they must stop using such outdated, worn-out fleet on medium-haul European routes. If you are planning a trip to Portugal, look for alternatives with modern cabins, or be prepared for an exhausting and uncomfortable journey.

The airline was so bad I wanted to give it a zero but that's not possible so one it is.

EL AL was, without a doubt, one of the most frustrating airline experiences I've ever had. If you're looking for an airline that leaves you questioning why you spent your money in the first place, you've found it.
The customer service was unbelievably disappointing. Instead of making passengers feel welcome, the staff acted like helping people was a burden. Courtesy and professionalism seemed completely optional.
The onboard service was painfully slow, and the food was so disappointing that I'd rather have skipped the meal entirely. For the prices EL AL charges, the quality was nowhere close to acceptable.
What really ruined the experience was how my luggage was handled. Seeing my belongings come back damaged was the final insult after an already miserable trip. Passengers trust airlines with their personal property, and that trust should be taken seriously.
The entire experience felt overpriced, disorganized, and lacking the level of care you'd expect from a full-service airline. I boarded expecting a quality airline and left wondering how so many basic aspects of customer service could fall so short. This is not an airline I'd choose again, and I wouldn't recommend it based on my experience.

LY316 Heathrow - TelAviv 02 June
After reading numerous reviews I was not expecting much. I couldn't have been more wrong. The plane was spotless, the crew attentive. We were delayed 3 hours due to bad weather but the flight crew kept us fully informed. The food was more than passable and the IFE was excellent.

Our women's football club booked 20 tickets through a travel agent for travel on 18 June 2026.

Three players later had to cancel their participation, and we asked whether the tickets could be transferred to other passengers. We were informed that this was not possible and were advised to cancel the tickets and rebook them under the new passengers' names.

After cancelling the tickets, the seats have not become available for booking again, and we are now unable to purchase tickets for the replacement passengers. The new passengers have been placed on a waiting list, but we have received no indication whether they will be able to travel with the rest of the team.

We have contacted both our travel agent and El Al multiple times, but so far no one has been able to provide a solution.

This trip is very important for our club, and we are simply asking for assistance in finding a way for our additional passengers to travel with the team.

Flight details:
LY237 – Tel Aviv to Amsterdam – 18 June 2026, 04:45
LY338 – Amsterdam to Tel Aviv – 24 June 2026, 12:15

We would greatly appreciate if someone from El Al could review our case and help us find a solution.

מיבשים אותנו כבר שעה וחצי על הקרקע מחוברים לשרוול בשדה של וינה. כאילו שאין לנו מה לעשות בחיים.

Insanely expensive, horrible costumer service

purchased a ticket to Tel Aviv for 10 October 2023. Following the events of 7 October and the outbreak of the war, I requested a refund for obvious safety reasons.

My refund request was refused, and instead I was issued with a voucher. While I could somewhat understand that decision at the time, the conflict has continued far longer than anyone anticipated, and I still do not feel comfortable travelling to Tel Aviv.

Over the past two years, I have repeatedly requested a refund. Each time, my request has been declined, and the voucher's validity has simply been extended. Since October last year alone, I have sent 6–7 emails requesting assistance and have received no response whatsoever. When calling customer service, I am told that the email address is the only channel through which this matter can be handled.

I am extremely frustrated by the situation. The original ticket cost £498, which is a significant amount of money to have tied up for nearly two years. I have no intention of travelling to Israel under the current circumstances, nor do I have friends or family to whom I could transfer the ticket.

What disappoints me most is not just the refusal to refund, but the complete lack of communication. Ignoring customers who have been trying to resolve an issue for such a long period is simply unacceptable.

The company must start reviewing its approach and start treating affected customers with greater understanding and fairness.

I’m sitting right now on the airplane to Milano flight 381, I’m starting to feel comfortable, remove my shoes and than realising that there is a pee liquid under my seat. Disgusting and shocking and as always will try to avoid this airline. I’m saying that as Israeli with a heavy heart . ELAL you are going down although it’s hard to understand it as after and during the war your prices were not logical. Where is all the money?! The last you can do is to improve our customers experience. Shame on you .

ידעו מראש אך הודיעו חצי שעה לפני המראה

Poor customer service. I would give fewer stars, but I do support this airline. But they really need to have customer service that speaks English. I have wasted a lot of time trying to speak to someone in the third world who really cannot understand.

Vol Air fR VIA El Al du 23 mai Annulé 10 jours avant sans aucune Information Explication , Motif . Aucune Solution Proposée , on se débrouille Et Bien Sûr À ce Jour AUCUN REMBOURSEMENT …!!!! 😡
Conséquences : Ma fille a du reprendre Un Vol plus Cher , , Aux Aurores et Avec Escale pour pouvoir Être Présente à Sa Cérémonie de Diplôme ( thèse )🧑‍🎓 , moi même J’ai Du RENONCER À Y Aller Puisque non remboursé !!!!
À ce Jour Toujours Pas De Remboursement : on l’a renvoie Soit sur le site de réservation ou sur L’autre Cie Air France via El Al ….! On Lui a même signalé que son Dossier était Clos : Donc Débrouille Toi !!!! Si tu veux Être Remboursé
Une Honte Pour Une Cie , Nationale et connue 😡

WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE EVER- NEVER AVAILABLE TO HELP, AND THEIR PLANES ARE MOSTLY OUTDATED WITH THE PRICE OF HIGH END.

Called the airline 3 days before my flight to try and extend, only working Israel hours while I’m traveling in America so nothing can be done until Shabbat ends. Than 20 hours before flight and again 6 hours before flight I try to extend again and they ask for $600 which $170 is a change fee.l, I decline and get to the airport and free my first layover they mention the flight is over booked and ask if I will take a voucher to extend to Tuesday which that was my original request (but now I’m in Boston while I started the trip at Chicago). With all the technology in the world they can’t even get this right.

Extremely disappointing and disrespectful service from El Al.

Our flight was delayed from the original departure time stated on the ticket, but instead of receiving clear information or proper assistance from El Al staff, we were left waiting at the airport with uncertainty, confusion, and no meaningful support.

Despite the delay passing the threshold that entitles passengers to food, drinks, and communication services under the Israeli Aviation Services Law, El Al failed to provide proper assistance in real time. We asked for help, but received no clear explanation, no food or drink vouchers, and no basic customer service response.

The main issue was not only the delay itself, but the way El Al treated its passengers. There was a complete lack of transparency, almost no available staff, no clear updates, and an overall feeling that passengers were simply abandoned to deal with the situation on their own.

When an airline changes a flight time and leaves passengers waiting at the airport, the absolute minimum is to provide timely updates, respectful communication, and the assistance required by law. El Al failed on all of these basic obligations.

This was a frustrating, unprofessional, and disrespectful experience. It is unacceptable for an airline that presents itself as a leading carrier to treat passengers this way.

Based on this experience, I cannot recommend El Al. A company that respects its customers should know how to provide service when things go wrong — especially when things go wrong.

Below quality customer service. Arrogant manager Neil. Claiming to be the only manager El Al has. Ha. What a joke!
They ripped me off for $400 per person to cancel my round trip flight from jfk to ben gurion. Even though there's a war going on.

Charged money for a ticket without receiving a reservation number, or a ticket. Impossible to speak to customer service.

Elal is the best airline i've used!
They have a lot of pationce for you on the plane!
They are very organized and all the rest... they just ticked every box for me!

I am trying to change a reservation and their online system gives me an error every time I try to change the date.
There is no way to contact this company, their automated Whatsapp is worthless and there is practically no way to reach a living person to solve a problem.
Never again!

זוועה. רימו אותי עם כרטיס שקניתי באוגוסט 2025 ואמור לטוס ב 27 באפריל בבוקר, העבירו אותי בלי הסכמתי ל28 באפריל בערב כלומר דחייה שלי יומיים ועוד אומרים לי שיש לי מזל שלא דחו אותי יותר. ומדובר בטיסה שמתקיימת כמתוכנן משדה תעופה שיש בו 2 טיסות ביום בדיוק כמו לפני המלחמה. פשוט רמאים!

Absolutely disgraceful customer support. They don’t answer on their US number an on their WhatsApp (which works only Israeli hours) they reply after 2h, and if you are not there to reply, they close the for “lack of activity”😂😂😂😂😂