Dec 9, 2013, 6:21 am
Last edit by: sabbasolo
Feel free to pitch in with edits for content, additional posts and threads to be linked in the wiki, or general clean up - but please be as accurate and clear as possible!
WELCOME TO THE FLYERTALK EL AL MATMID THREAD! THIS IS A COMMUNITY-MAINTAINED WIKI FOR FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT EL AL, MATMID, ELAL.COM, AND THE LY FT THREAD. PLEASE READ FIRST BEFORE POSTING!
This thread is FLAME-FREE! Please recognize newbies who are posting here as well, and respond accordingly!!
Help me understand FlyerTalk and EL AL Matmid Forum lingo!
Flying with EL AL?
Frequent flyer with EL AL?
Need to contact EL AL?
Want general information about EL AL?
EL AL Online:
Important Threads From the Matmid forum!
Another FT thread: Traveling in Israel, for help navigating transportation in Israel
And from EL AL's website: Fly a Lot? EL AL Offers You a Ticket Pack
Upgrade to Premium Classes On-Board Your Flight!
Have a question? Do a SEARCH! Before posting a new thread, search first! There are 2 ways of searching FlyerTalk!
WELCOME TO THE FLYERTALK EL AL MATMID THREAD! THIS IS A COMMUNITY-MAINTAINED WIKI FOR FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT EL AL, MATMID, ELAL.COM, AND THE LY FT THREAD. PLEASE READ FIRST BEFORE POSTING!
This thread is FLAME-FREE! Please recognize newbies who are posting here as well, and respond accordingly!!
Help me understand FlyerTalk and EL AL Matmid Forum lingo!
Flying with EL AL?
- OLCI with Express Check-in
- Choosing the Right Seat
- Preferred Seats on EL AL (F seat with C service; C seat with Y service; Y seats with extra legroom)
- Luggage Allowances, Excess Luggage Fees, and Infant Seat/Stroller Guidelines
- On-board IFE and connectivity
- Flying With Infants
Frequent flyer with EL AL?
Need to contact EL AL?
Want general information about EL AL?
- Welcome to EL AL!
- Ben Gurion International Airport, EL AL's main hub
- Fare Classes
- Where can I find information on EL AL's Fleet?
EL AL Online:
Important Threads From the Matmid forum!
- Flying EL AL, and want to guested into the King David Lounge? See TLV King David Lounge Get-togethers, started by yosithezet.
- Want to know where there are King David Lounges or partner lounges around the world? See ELAL KD Lounges/Lounge Access across the world, started by sn1ke.
- Want to know how to earn more Matmid points using your credit card? See Earning LY Matmid points with Israeli CCs, started by yosithezet.
- Do LY have plans to add Premium Economy and overhaul the cabin? See LY Premium Eco and cabin overhaul?
- Comparing Business Class on Lufthansa (LH) and EL AL: El Al or Lufthansa to TLV?
- Want to know how to redeem Matmid points for an upgrade? How does one redeem for upgrade on LY?
- Want more information on the AA/LY relationship? See American Airlines and LY / EL AL Israel Airlines Codeshares (consolidated) from the American AAdvantage forum
- Travelling on a codeshare flight but LY metal and want to use your Matmid benefits? See Travelling with LY on an LX ticket - can I use my PL benefits?
- What are the best seats on LY's 744? Seating advice: LY 744: row 34 or 21?
- Beware! Flexible fare on EL AL may not be as flexible as you think! Total Economy vs Semi Flexible - what's the difference in flexibility?
Another FT thread: Traveling in Israel, for help navigating transportation in Israel
And from EL AL's website: Fly a Lot? EL AL Offers You a Ticket Pack
Upgrade to Premium Classes On-Board Your Flight!
Have a question? Do a SEARCH! Before posting a new thread, search first! There are 2 ways of searching FlyerTalk!
- Inside the specific forum, click on "Search this Forum" for results from within the El Al Matmid forum. To search all of FlyerTalk, click on "Search" located above the forum.
- By using Google. Duh! To search FT using Google, first type "site:www.flyertalk.com," and then a space, and then type what you want to search. (Leave out the quotation marks and comma!)
The EL AL FAQ (Newbie Questions Welcome - Flame Free)
Feb 14, 2017, 1:34 pm
#121
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: CPT,AMS
Posts: 4,412
It shouldn't earn miles, that must have been some IT glitch... happens every now and then.
Nov 13, 2017, 2:27 am
#122
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2009
Location: FRA / YEG
Programs: AC Super Elite, Radisson Platinum, Accor Platinum
Posts: 11,874
A few quick questions regarding a simple CDG-TLV award booking in business class:
1) Am I correct that a one-way award costs 50% of a round-trip, i.e. 1100 Matmid points for Executive members?
2) Is it still true that transferring at least 5000 AMEX MR points (from a US AMEX account) automatically upgrades the Matmid account to "Executive" and therefore is eligible for the lower pricing?
Thanks in advance!
1) Am I correct that a one-way award costs 50% of a round-trip, i.e. 1100 Matmid points for Executive members?
2) Is it still true that transferring at least 5000 AMEX MR points (from a US AMEX account) automatically upgrades the Matmid account to "Executive" and therefore is eligible for the lower pricing?
Thanks in advance!
Nov 13, 2017, 4:49 am
#123
Join Date: Sep 2011
Programs: Virgin Atlantic Silver, IHG Diamond, Bonvoy Gold, Hilton Diamond, AA Platinum Pro
Posts: 1,386
A few quick questions regarding a simple CDG-TLV award booking in business class:
1) Am I correct that a one-way award costs 50% of a round-trip, i.e. 1100 Matmid points for Executive members?
2) Is it still true that transferring at least 5000 AMEX MR points (from a US AMEX account) automatically upgrades the Matmid account to "Executive" and therefore is eligible for the lower pricing?
Thanks in advance!
1) Am I correct that a one-way award costs 50% of a round-trip, i.e. 1100 Matmid points for Executive members?
2) Is it still true that transferring at least 5000 AMEX MR points (from a US AMEX account) automatically upgrades the Matmid account to "Executive" and therefore is eligible for the lower pricing?
Thanks in advance!
Apr 19, 2018, 12:44 pm
#125
Join Date: May 2005
Programs: DL SM, HH Silver, SPG Gold
Posts: 100
Can you transfer points from one Matmid account to another? Is there a fee?
I have two people each with 360 points expiring in a couple months, looking to travel NYC-TLV, and they would like to transfer some points so they can upgrade from Economy (M) to Business (R) which costs 450 points I believe.
Besides the upgrade, is there anything you can do with less than 2000 points if you are based in North America?
One of the passengers is Silver Executive, but the status expires in July while they are interested in flying in September (not sure if that makes any difference).
Toda!
I have two people each with 360 points expiring in a couple months, looking to travel NYC-TLV, and they would like to transfer some points so they can upgrade from Economy (M) to Business (R) which costs 450 points I believe.
Besides the upgrade, is there anything you can do with less than 2000 points if you are based in North America?
One of the passengers is Silver Executive, but the status expires in July while they are interested in flying in September (not sure if that makes any difference).
Toda!
Aug 4, 2018, 5:48 am
#128
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Helsinki, Finland
Programs: Finnair Platinum, OWE
Posts: 42
Immigration question
Planning to visit Tel Aviv with my mom. I have been to Israel many times, so I am familiar with immigration/security. My mom does not speak a word of english, how will she be able to pass the immigration and security if she can’t answer a single question?
Aug 4, 2018, 5:56 am
#129
Join Date: Sep 2017
Programs: TK E+, RJ S, AZ E
Posts: 1,869
What language does she speak? Will you arrive together?
Aug 22, 2018, 11:54 pm
#132
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: NYC
Programs: DL, UA
Posts: 69
Can someone explain upgrade by purchase options and how they work? 2 of us are flying JFK-TLV in Economy (777), as part of a group...seat were assigned by the TA. On the El Al website, I see that I purchase (or request to purchase) an Economy Plus seat ($160 pp/ow). Is it worth it? It also looks like I can purchase (or request to purchase) a seat in Business Class ($500 pp/ow)...seat only, not service. I can see that there are some seats left in both areas, but it looks like i fill out a form to request the seat...how do i request one for each of us so that we both get a seat or neither of us do? I'm just concerned about the flight out since we will arrive at 6:30am and have to hit the ground running. If it's best to call, what's the best number to call? Thanks in advance!
Aug 23, 2018, 11:01 am
#133
Join Date: Sep 2011
Programs: Virgin Atlantic Silver, IHG Diamond, Bonvoy Gold, Hilton Diamond, AA Platinum Pro
Posts: 1,386
Can someone explain upgrade by purchase options and how they work? 2 of us are flying JFK-TLV in Economy (777), as part of a group...seat were assigned by the TA. On the El Al website, I see that I purchase (or request to purchase) an Economy Plus seat ($160 pp/ow). Is it worth it? It also looks like I can purchase (or request to purchase) a seat in Business Class ($500 pp/ow)...seat only, not service. I can see that there are some seats left in both areas, but it looks like i fill out a form to request the seat...how do i request one for each of us so that we both get a seat or neither of us do? I'm just concerned about the flight out since we will arrive at 6:30am and have to hit the ground running. If it's best to call, what's the best number to call? Thanks in advance!
Aug 23, 2018, 12:25 pm
#134
Join Date: Dec 2008
Programs: UA 1K; LY Gold; DL Gold; BA Bronze
Posts: 2,266
The $500 for business class seat will only be offered if business class is not operational for the flight, which is highly unlikely on an NYC flight.
Aug 23, 2018, 1:45 pm
#135
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: HaMerkaz/Exit 145
Programs: UA, LY, BA, AA
Posts: 13,167
I thought that was only F seat with C service that's only offered if no F service at all. I have definitely heard of and seen pax sitting in C with Y meal.