Change in carry-on limitations?
 

A friend flew LY last night, TLV-JFK (not sure which flight) and had 1 backpack and 1 carry-on. He was in Y and is non-status. He was forced to check the carry-on AND pay $230. Has there been some change that I'm unaware of?

Not that I'm aware of. I flew back a few days after Purim with 1 backpack, a laptop bag, and a carrier bag - all of which went through without any problem. Admittedly I have status, but I know many people without status who have no problems with doing similar things.

The charge might have been due to the carry-on being checked in under 'overweight' - standard charges are $30.00 per kilo, which would make the carry-on be around 8kg or so

PS. If it was the 'midnight' flight, then it was the LY001

No change. From the Website

"Economy Class Hand Luggage

Hand Luggage Weight
You are entitled to one piece of hand luggage weighing up to 8 kg (17pounds)."

It does indicate that Gold, Plat. and TP can take more. Basically your friend was over the allowed amount--no surprise here.

The limit is 8kg but the first time I had to weight my hand luggage was in...TLV. As it was 3kg too heavy (wow!), I had to transfer some things from it into the checked-in suitcase......really annoying. In the past, El Al used to be less restrictive than other airlines when it came to luggage wight.....seems to have changed to the opposite :-(

Btw, in a few weeks I will have to transport to Israel (and back to GVA) some large pieces of metal..... does anyone know what the restrictions are in term of size? If I send it as cargo, can I be sure it will be onboard the nonstop flights?

thanks

hmm interesting..I thought the 1 bag + 1 laptop/or purse was allowed but I don't get that impression when I read the website.

It is allowed, although it's not made clear on the website.

It's the first time though that I've heard of them checking the weight of the hand baggage. Usually, as long as the traveller isn't sweating under the load of the bag and unable to lift it, they allow it through (hence working out can help! ;) )
I know I've gotten through with more (in the days before having status), and it was extremely useful (note: I'm not saying it's the right thing to do, bearing in mind aircraft weight limits - I'm just noting that it was beneficial to myself at the time)

If they're starting doing this now, it'll be interesting to see how it turns out...

I was under the impression that you are indeed allowed one piece of hand luggage PLUS one personal item. Last time I flew, I had two carry-ons plus a personal item, and they made me gate-check one of the carry-ons, though there was no charge. But I was still allowed a carry-on (overnight suitcase) and a personal item (my backpack)

BAckpacks come in a wide variety of sizes. I would imagine it depends upon how big the backpack is and the mood of the person doing the checking!

For the first time ever, they weighed my tiny backpack at TLV..it was 4kg...i was shocked...no airline has ever asked me to weigh my bag before.

BA have done that to me at CDG

So here's an update. I spoke to my friend again, and he had 2 regular suitcases which he was checking. In addition, he was holding a regular backpack that could (and did) fit under the seat in front of him.
The bag in question was an overnight bag, which he assumed weighed around 8 kg. It had a small amount of clothing in it, and that was it. When he check-in, they saw him holding 2 more bags, and asked if he planned to carry both on. He said yes, and he would put one in the overhead bins and the other under the seat in front of him. They told him that was against LY policy, and made him check the overnight bag for $200.

Thanks for the update! Although still interesting - I've traversed TLV many time with multiple bags (but then again, I guess it also depends on the size of the overnighter)

I've seen the bag he was referring to. It's the equivalence of a gym bag, and well within the posted limitations.

As someone that often go to the plane with 2 bags, I can only say that no matter how small they are, mine are very heavy!, So i believe its more wait than size.

But EL-AL lately started to be a pain in the ... regarding weight and limitations, even for TPLs... (They started to be pain in the ... in few things...)

you shouldn't compare youtself as being a TPL with a non status person like the OP stated.
elal wont bother you even if you take 4 bags to the plane.

i've heard from a couple of people that Elal checks the weight of the carry on at the checkin desk (the regular one, not the biz/first lines)