United or EL Al to NYC?
 

Hi,

Need some advise please. I have the option of flying to NYC from Tel Aviv either on one of the following airlines:
EL AL 787-9 to EWR
EL AL 747-400 JFK

UA 777-200 EWR
UA 777-300er

Which one is recommended? I flew to South Africa with El AL. Can't remember which plane but it was uncomfortable and there was no seat back screens on the flight..needed to download their entertainment app onto our personal devices but they had no place to even charge our devices. So, seat back screens is a must.

Which plane is recommended?

Thanks

Coach or business? Do you care about earning miles? Are you a member of any FF program now? Elite status? Not enough info here. Overall 787 will certainly be the newest aircraft with all the latest IFE. 777-300 also, but may have 10 abreast vs. 9 abreast seating in the 200.

Coach. I think I have a mileage card but I am not too concerned about that :)
What I care about most is entertainment and also leg space although I am short :)

Well, the 787 is brand new, with great IFE and 31" of legroom. The 747 will be old with very poor IFE, but offers 32".

On the 747, you can pay $150 or so each way to sit in an "Economy Plus" seat, which offers 36", a footrest, and a larger recline. The 787 only offers Premium Economy, which is a seperate class altogether and, unlike Econony Plus, more than a marginal price increase.

I've been told that United flights in coach are best done on the 777-200, as the -300 is 10 abreast and possibly less legroom. Pretty sure both United planes offer an Economy Plus, but don't know the upsell cost.

So, based on the helpful info provided here I think I will go with 787.

Thank you!!

I would rank entertainment as 777-300ER>787>777-200ER>747
I would rank seat comfort as 777-200ER>787>747>777-300ER

don't forget there's a non-trivial chance you won't even fly the 787 on LY as they have a lot of technical issues and could easily sub it out.

United 300ER with Polaris is amazing, try it out!!

Isn't that just business class? I am flying economy.

That will be a problem. Don't like LY planes. Maybe I should just go with UA. What is Delta Airbus A330-300 like?

Also, is it better to arrive at JFK or EWR with ESTA? From my recollection at EWR they have a line for ESTA and at JFK they don't and the lines there are very long.

Thanks

Don't even think of the 747 as an option.
El Al's 787 can be a nice option, as it lands at EWR and the airplane, well, it's a 787.
United 772 is a better option then the brand new 773 when flying coach, but please note that the 772 is flying the 85/84 (which is a day flight from TLV and I would prefer to avoid it).
Delta's A333 is also a pretty good option, as the coach is comparable to United's 772 but it arrives in JFK - ok if JFK is your final destination but terrible for connections. EWR is the better option for airport in NYC , not perfect but much more pleasant then JFK.

As a primarily EWR flyer, I'd disagree about which one is better. If NYC area is the final destination, then it's a simple geographic question. NJ is EWR, Long Island is JFK. Manhattan probably EWR but depends on how you're going and time of day.

Regrading connections, also depends. UA and DL both fly to TLV and each have NYC area hubs, EWR and JFK respectively. UA may have a larger presence, but you're splitting hairs at that point. And then LY code-shares with B6, also at JFK (and I believe still with AA on some level). So connections can be fine from either.

JFK also has a line for those who are making a return trip with an ESTA. Transportation is generally easier from JFK to NYC, Definitely easier for the return since JFK is IN NYC and EWR is in a neighboring state. Where in NYC are you staying.

So what that it's in NYC versus neighboring state? That's incredibly highly dependent. It's not like these are international borders you need to cross.

Transportation to Penn Station is easier from JFK than EWR? Port Authority?

The difference is that the tolls to NJ are more expensive than tolls ( if you go on a toll bridge) to JFK. The difference is NYC taxis can NOT pick up in NJ and charge double to drop in NJ. It is also a more complicated commute by public transportation. It is NOT impossible, and not rocket science but depending upon where you are ending up, JFK is more convenient.