Author Topic: Praise for El Al  (Read 4900 times)

Offline zow

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Praise for El Al
« on: August 22, 2018, 11:40:48 AM »
This thread probably won’t get much love, but to be fair, we probably should point out the unusually good stuff as well as the bad.

Yesterday when my daughter checked in at Logan, both of her checked bags were about a pound over limit. Agent didn’t flinch and on they went.  The agent asked to weigh my daughter’s rolling carry-on bag, which was about twice the allowable weight.  Then she saw her (heavy and overstuffed) backpack, and asked are you carrying on that one, too? 

The agent then said you may as well check the rolling bag here, because it is a full flight and almost certainly the gate agent will make you gate check it.   She happily checked it, no charge for extra bag or extra weight, and wished my daughter Nesiya tovah. 

Cheers to this El Al agent for being customer-centered and being flexible around their rules. 

Offline Aerial Dag

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Re: Praise for El Al
« Reply #1 on: August 22, 2018, 11:50:55 AM »
Thread has been reported to the mods. Please take your ElAl praise elsewhere! /s


But seriously, I don't see the big deal here. All airlines gate check when there is no room for additional carry on items. Seems like this agent was doing the same thing that a gate agent would do.
Not being a stickler about exact weight limits is nice.

Offline zow

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Re: Praise for El Al
« Reply #2 on: August 22, 2018, 02:40:21 PM »
Thread has been reported to the mods. Please take your ElAl praise elsewhere! /s


But seriously, I don't see the big deal here. All airlines gate check when there is no room for additional carry on items. Seems like this agent was doing the same thing that a gate agent would do.
Not being a stickler about exact weight limits is nice.

It was more about the weight of the carryons.  The rolling bag was almost 15kg and the backpack, which she ended up carrying on, was 10kg.  The published limit is one piece @ 8kg. 

I realize not a big deal, but it is Elul and I’m trying to be positive. 

Offline ExGingi

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Re: Praise for El Al
« Reply #3 on: August 22, 2018, 02:59:53 PM »
It was more about the weight of the carryons.  The rolling bag was almost 15kg and the backpack, which she ended up carrying on, was 10kg.  The published limit is one piece @ 8kg. 

I realize not a big deal, but it is Elul and I’m trying to be positive.

So ELAL is doing teshuva in ELUL, and becoming more customer friendly? That's great news!

Reminds me of an old joke about a bochur that wanted to go overseas during Elul for a chasuna. When he came to the mashgiach to ask permission, the mashgiach was in shock and exclaimed ELUL!!! ELUL!!! To which the bochur responded, no worries, I'm flying Tower Air not EL(U)[A]L!
I've been waiting over 5 years with bated breath for someone to say that!
-- Dan

Offline buchir

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Re: Praise for El Al
« Reply #4 on: August 22, 2018, 06:40:08 PM »
I'm not a big fan of EL AL, and I usually try to avoid flying with them.

I know 2 ppl who flew the last month with them, and told me there has been a real change in their attitude!

Offline a good yeshiva bachur

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Re: Praise for El Al
« Reply #5 on: August 22, 2018, 07:17:13 PM »
I know 2 ppl who flew the last month with them, and told me there has been a real change in their attitude!
@Dan taking the credit?

Offline gold

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Re: Praise for El Al
« Reply #6 on: August 23, 2018, 12:47:45 PM »
I'm not a big fan of EL AL, and I usually try to avoid flying with them.

I know 2 ppl who flew the last month with them, and told me there has been a real change in their attitude!

I just completed TLV-JFK in C and Jfk-TLv in W and the service was unbelievable both ways. Excellent customer care and extremely efficient cabin crew both ways. Overtook BA handsdown.

Offline mrprez27

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Re: Praise for El Al
« Reply #7 on: August 23, 2018, 01:04:58 PM »
I just completed TLV-JFK in C and Jfk-TLv in W and the service was unbelievable both ways. Excellent customer care and extremely efficient cabin crew both ways. Overtook BA handsdown.
whats 'W' class?

Offline Sam Finkelstein

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Re: Praise for El Al
« Reply #8 on: August 23, 2018, 01:12:47 PM »
I took LY a few months ago. Motzaei Shabbos flight, full of bochurim. My checked was a few over, and my rolling carryon also well over the limit. Check in agent checked both (proactively offered to check my rolling bag)without a problem.
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Offline yelped

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Re: Praise for El Al
« Reply #9 on: August 23, 2018, 01:54:41 PM »
Do all airlines have weight restrictions for carry ons? I thought only LCCs do that. I was definitely never asked to weigh the carry ons with United or Jetblue.

Offline ExGingi

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Re: Praise for El Al
« Reply #10 on: August 23, 2018, 02:00:56 PM »
Do all airlines have weight restrictions for carry ons? I thought only LCCs do that. I was definitely never asked to weigh the carry ons with United or Jetblue.
Definitely.

I witnessed a major scene when connecting at FRA. Europeans tend to make a bigger issue of this than is common in the US or even in TLV. On my last TK flight from TLV my carryon was significantly overweight, shifted things around a little bit into the other bag, and agent let it through despite still being overweight.
I've been waiting over 5 years with bated breath for someone to say that!
-- Dan

Offline yelped

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Re: Praise for El Al
« Reply #11 on: August 23, 2018, 02:17:10 PM »
I remember Swiss having an 8 KG weight limited, which they only sort of cared about, but don't remember anyone else ever having issues.

https://www.united.com/CMS/en-US/travel/Pages/BaggageCarry-On.aspx

No weight limit.

https://www.jetblue.com/at-the-airport/baggage-information/

Same here for carry ons.

Offline LoLo

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Re: Praise for El Al
« Reply #12 on: August 23, 2018, 02:42:12 PM »
IME VS and BA frequently make issues.

Offline PlatinumGuy

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Re: Praise for El Al
« Reply #13 on: August 23, 2018, 02:48:36 PM »
Most airlines limit carry on weight.

VIE even has manadatory scales at the entrance to the airside
״וזה כלל גדול: שישנא אדם כל דבר שקר. וכל מה שיוסיף שנאה לדרכי השקר – יוסיף אהבה לתורה.״ - אורחות צדיקים

Offline jose34

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Re: Praise for El Al
« Reply #14 on: August 23, 2018, 03:08:06 PM »
Most airlines limit carry on weight.

VIE even has mandatory scales at the entrance to the airside

First time I heard that, which airports?

 When I flew OS Pesach time they did not have that, happens to be ticket agent actually asked to weigh my carry on but when it was overweight he just checked it ( I think he got confused and wasnt really sure what he was doing)

Offline buchir

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Re: Praise for El Al
« Reply #15 on: August 23, 2018, 06:47:24 PM »
First time I heard that, which airports?

 When I flew OS Pesach time they did not have that, happens to be ticket agent actually asked to weigh my carry on but when it was overweight he just checked it ( I think he got confused and wasnt really sure what he was doing)

I flew OS in Nov. 2016, and they made everyone check the weight of their carry on (mine was overweight so I said I'll take something out as a personal item, and they said okay but take it out.....)

Offline yelped

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Re: Praise for El Al
« Reply #16 on: August 23, 2018, 07:02:03 PM »
Interesting. AA doesn't have carry on weight restrictions either.

https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/baggage/carry-on-baggage.jsp

And Delta doesn't either.

https://www.delta.com/content/www/en_US/traveling-with-us/baggage/during-your-trip/carry-on.html

So it seems it's the European carriers being European. Iirc correctly a Delta rep once told me, "as long as you can lift it up and put it in the overboard compartments, you're good".

Offline PlatinumGuy

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Re: Praise for El Al
« Reply #17 on: August 24, 2018, 03:06:24 AM »
Asian and ME airlines have carry on limits as well.

It's extremely rare for them to be enforced.
״וזה כלל גדול: שישנא אדם כל דבר שקר. וכל מה שיוסיף שנאה לדרכי השקר – יוסיף אהבה לתורה.״ - אורחות צדיקים

Offline Sam Finkelstein

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Re: Praise for El Al
« Reply #18 on: August 24, 2018, 05:15:04 AM »
And Delta doesn't either.

https://www.delta.com/content/www/en_US/traveling-with-us/baggage/during-your-trip/carry-on.html

So it seems it's the European carriers being European. Iirc correctly a Delta rep once told me, "as long as you can lift it up and put it in the overboard compartments, you're good".

Correct. Flew Delta ex-TLV a few weeks ago and literally put a whole stack of seforim into my roller bag. IME US airlines in general give the easiest time with carryons, and they are my favorite way to go to Israel when possible.

Also took Alitalia ex-TLV several months ago. Some bochur had a morbidly obese backpack, which they mandatorily checked for free. Also, based on others’ general experiences, it seems most checkin agents don’t have the nerve to make you pay for it, even if they force you to check it.
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Offline drone

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Re: Praise for El Al
« Reply #19 on: August 24, 2018, 08:38:53 AM »
Most airlines today have a weight limit for carry ons some of them want to make money by forcing you to buy a luggage as in Europe today you don't get a luggage from anyone, and El Al also started this craziness about a year 1/2 ago, but airlines found it hard to enforce because you acctually don't hand it over to them so you can bring it to the gate, (which is what I do all the time I put in the things that have a lot of weight in the carry on) you don't need to approach the counter you just walk to the gate, and the big airlines can't set up the same scale that wow and wizz and Ryan air have at the gate it would piss off customers, and even wizz and Ryan air stopped using the scale, only some bad workers from time to time decide to enforce it...