gordo6

http://youtu.be/aLFWCsDEvck

Am I the only one that has the feeling that this is a bad and pathetic copy of the VX safety video?

ELY001

Rather than spending its limited resources where it is needed (a good long haul hard product, full livery on all ac, etc.) EL AL is wasting them on ridiculous things.

mkilmo

And no subtitles in Arabic.

For being Israel's alleged flag carrier, this is a huge no-no.

FlyingOutTLV

Arabic isn't an official language in Israel, so, not including Arabic subtitles is maybe a marketing-mistake but I wouldn't go so far as "a huge no-no". They don't have to do it - it's a choice. English subtitles would probably be more effective.

But, regardless, I don't like this video. It also reminded me the VX video - which was pretty sweet (though a bit too long).

LatusElAl

1) A waste of resources. Probably upwards of a $100,000 production cost.
2) Pathetic. Not done terribly well. The dancers aren't even in sync. Blah.

shuly

Currently, there are two official languages in Israel: Hebrew and Arabic. (Wikipedia)

LY777

We should rename this forum "El Al Bashing FlyerTalk forum"

Everything LY does is not perfect but you, guys, criticize EVERYTHING, even the safety video...

Give them a break.

ELY001

We can't. There would be very little to talk about if we did.

ELY001

In all seriousness, I do not think we bash EL AL on this forum. What we are doing is comparing and contrasting EL AL's products and services to those of competitor carriers and constructively critiquing EL AL's shortcomings.

This forum and it's members collectively represent a treasure trove of experience, knowledge, and expertise all for free for all to see inside EL AL's higher echelons.

Rather than embracing the constructive comparisons and criticisms frequent travelers on this forum provide, EL AL's management opts to extend the proverbial middle finger precisely at those customers it needs most (long haul business travelers) by perpetuating outdated hard products, a vastly inferior frequent flier program, and a general attitude of disrespect while at the same time demanding loyalty from certain ethnic/religious groups because the company is Jewish/Israeli and pinning the blame for its problems on everything from antisemitism (as Shkedy infamously did for EL AL's inability to gain alliance membership) to Israel's geo-political situation, and even the Israeli government for modernizing the country's revenue vital tourist sector by embracing "Open Skies" with Europe.

The simple fact of the matter is that EL AL's management has only itself to blame. It managed to alienate loyal customers such as myself and others who in the past exclusively flew EL AL to and from Israel and would eagerly do so in the future once the necessary changes needed to make the company's products competitive occur. As the TLV market grows and more and more airlines compete for Israeli pax, EL AL will find itself increasingly marginalized in its home base until it becomes irrelevant (perhaps it already is with a mere 32% and shrinking market share) unless it starts to change soon.

So LY777, I would not say this forum bashes EL AL. Nobody can do a better job of that then EL AL's management themselves.

clubman

Sacha, I know it seems that way, and it's unfortunate that it's come to this, but there are just so many issues it sometimes seems the airline is run by a bunch of clowns...

I also feel you take it to the extreme in the other way, in that you never seem to criticise them, not when it comes to anything important anyway (yes I know you said you don't like their old planes...).

Seriously, do you have nothing to say about the real issues LY are constantly being criticised here for? What do you think of the substandard J and F hard product, because I don't think I've seen your view on this and this is something constantly being discussed here.

FlyingOutTLV

That's not exactly true. No, it's mostly wrong.

In 1948 Israel accepted the British law as the legal base for the new country. Then we had three official languages: English, Hebrew and Arabic. That specific law was cancelled years ago. Currently no law in Israel specifically defines which is the official language. Some laws acknowledges Hebrew as the only official language (example: Israeli Nationality Law) while a few others refers to both Arabic and Hebrew under the same terms.

In practice, however, Hebrew is being used as the only official language. This is true both for the government and for the courts of law and their decisions. Legally it's wrong to say that both languages have equal statue.

Sorry for going so much of-topic. The UP video is ridiculous.

ELY001

If the company were run by clowns then things would not be as pathetic as they are. The purpose of clowns is to entertain, EL AL's management is just purely inept. From what I have been told by good sources in the know, the company is run by unionized managers (except the CEO) whose contracts date back to 1982 after a new collective agreement was reached to end the several months long strike. These managers and their bloated ranks have no incentive to change, nor do they care. They can't get fired and so they come to work everyday, collect large salaries, do essentially little to advance the company, and all the while blame everyone but themselves for the airlines current situation.

Is it any wonder why Tami Borovich wants to sell her stake in the company and why nobody wants to buy it?

awayIgo

"English subtitles would probably be more effective. "


There ARE English subtitles.

Personally, I think it is cute, albeit too long. I also agree that sometimes the only thing that does happen on this forum is to bash El Al. I'll admit--I join in when I feel it is appropriate but refrain when I think people are going overboard.

economyman

It may be cute once, but if I flew them regularly it would get tiring.
Overall, I agree, it's not very well done.

As to bashing LY, nowadays I fly LY about once a year, at best twice, and yet this is the only forum I visit and contribute to regularly besides the BAEC forum. Why would I do that? Because if LY had a great premium service (cabin, seat, soft product) and a great loyalty program together with reasonable fares, I would probably be flying them much more regularly as I did in the past. So I come here to learn what's happening, to see what's changing, and to exchange ideas with like-minded people who mostly happen to agree that LY is doing a terrible job. That's the way it is and LY would be wise to take the cues offered on here to improve things. I doubt they will anytime soon but I still come back in hope...

joshwex90

Don't know what the VX video is, so can't comment. If I just so it as is, without knowing there existed a similar one, I'd say it's cute. Airlines around the world have been trying to come up with cutsey safety videos as they recognize them as mostly pointless at this point.
UP is trying to be a "fun" brand, and the video accomplishes that IMO.

I get criticizing LY in many aspects, but this seems over the top.

As for subtitles, English is crucial, and that's there. As for Arabic - it should be there *if* at least one of the following criteria is there:

1. Arabic is required by law to be displayed by all Israeli companies, equal to Hebrew
2. LY has a significant, Arabic-speaking customer base, who don't speak Hebrew/English.

Neither of these are the case though. Arabic is an official language, only in the sense that British Mandatory laws carried over in some aspects to the State of Israel. Israel does officially recognize Arabic as an official language, but in name only. There's no law requiring everything to be shown equally, as proven by the myriad of road signs outside Jerusalem/Tel Aviv/Haifa that are in Hebew/English but not Arabic. And if the government doesn't do everything in Arabic, why must a private company?
In addition, the Arabic yield on LY is low, as many opt to fly other airlines. And the few who are flying are almost certainly Israeli Arabs who have a working understanding of Hebrew (or even English) at the very least to not require Arabic subtitles. The English is needed for the many tourists who come from abroad who speak no Hebrew.