EL AL Launches Flights to Miami
EL AL, the Israeli national carrier, has re-launched flights from Tel Aviv to Miami. The airline used to fly to Miami, but cut the route in 2008. The route was flown by their older 767-200ERs. The new route will be flown by one of their newer (ish) 777-200ERs. This will give the airline added capacity and a slightly more updated interior for passengers.
What to Expect
The airline will fly the route 3xWeekly, with their 777 as mentioned before. The aircraft is configured with 279 seats, with 3 classes of service. The airline’s First class cabin consists of one row of 2x2x2 seats. They are fully flat seats and offer the airline’s best inflight experience. Business class consists of 35 angled flat seats in a 2x3x2 configuration. Economy is the more spacious version of 3x3x3, but there are 34 extra legroom seats. Keep in mind, these aircraft do not offer wifi, and business class is not fully flat.
I expect the airline to slowly roll out their new business class product, which debuted on their 787s. At this point, the airline will probably phase out first class. Their new business class product is one of the better ones in the industry and offers a fully flat bed, all with aisle access.
Where to Next?
Given that EL AL has a limited codeshare agreement with American, their possible next route could be Dallas. This would possibly fill the void left by Etihad’s departure and add a new connection to Israel from Texas. The airline’s new 787s will help EL AL expand further, and add capacity to some routes. At the moment, the airline has 2 in the fleet, and fly them to Newark and London. They have 14 more on order. These new aircraft will replace their 767s and 747, signaling another carrier that ends Queen of the Skies service.
Although EL AL codeshares with an extensive group of airlines from OneWorld, I don’t expect them to join the alliance any time soon. With EL AL’s unique position in the Middle East, they are better off staying outside an alliance.
Landing Thoughts
I think this is a great addition to the South Florida airline market, which is now served by Emirates, Qatar, and EL AL. Maybe the next airline from the region to start flights there will be Royal Jordanian, to codeshare with American. The new 787s and A350s have allowed airlines to add new routes that were otherwise unsuitable before, and I can see the benefits of these aircraft materializing in newer routes to the US and across the globe.
What do you think? Will you fly the new EL AL flight to Tel Aviv from Miami? Let us know!
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H/T: Miami Herald
Images from: Wikimedia or EL AL
Great! I last time I flew EL AL Miami to Tel Aviv was 2007. Flight was fine, if long. Unfortunately, an Ultra Orthodox woman threw a hissy fit over meals and disturbed most of 30 rows in Economy! A warning: at that time, their security was INCREDIBLE and super strict, both in Miami and Tel Aviv. I checked in 5 hours early in Miami and needed most of it. In Tel Aviv, I had over 3 hours lead time and nearly missed the flight! Had to go through the same security checks 3 times! Hopefully, that’s been sorted. All said, I did feel really safe and secure!
Hi Mary! Thanks for reading,
I have never flown them, but I have heard that they are very strict on security. It would be interesting to see if now a days your experience is better and if you need less time to connect!
Best,
The Millennial Traveler