Website woes
 

There used to be a thread in this forum about all the different problems with the El Al website. I can't seem to find it anymore, so just wanted to point out some annoying things that i've noticed recently. Please add your own issues:

1. Tried to login to my daughter's Matmid account because she had some 60 odd points and wanted to use them to at least get a free movie ticket. I had the Matmid number and the correct password, but the site says the password is expired. What frequent flyer program expires passwords for their accounts? I am not aware of any other airline or hotel program that expires passwords on a regular basis.
2. You would think that if my password is expired I just have to choose a new one. You would be wrong. Instead I have to choose to send myself a temporary code to my email or cell phone. Unfortunately it seems that my phone and email are not setup on my daughter's account. So now I can't even get in or reset the password. And I will have to call up their customer support. How stupid and wasteful is that.
3. Does anyone know if Online checkin still requires that you input the long ticket number but looking up the reservation still goes by the Record locator/PNR ?

I think the password nonsense is the result of a local regulation of the Bank of Israel. It applies to Israeli banks as well.

But El Al isn't a bank. Is it some idiotic policy administrator who looked at the bank password protected polcies and decided that they should do the same thing for Matmid?

Like I said earlier - El Al is not a bank. There is no reason for them to implement bank-like security procedures. I'm not aware of any other airline or hotel program that makes you change your password on such a frequency. And in fact, forcing people to change passwords regularly like this is now regarded in the cybersecurity field as a bad idea and makes the site less secure. (I work in that field).

The important word in what you wrote is 'NOW'. You would normally expect the Israelis to be up to 10 years behind with these things ...

Just used the app to check in for the first time in ages. January 2019. No ability to issue a boarding pass to the iOS wallet. No biometric identification had to enter the PNR despite being logged in with Matmid to check in. Very very poor.

Oh my god... I just registered for Matmid earlier this month when I flew LY to Israel. Finally got the email with my account login details today, so I logged in with the temporary password they sent me to create a permanent one. Crappy website, but fine - it worked.

Buuuutttt... trying to add the flights I recently took was a clown show. It asks you for origin/destination, flight numbers, etc. - fine. But at the bottom it also asks for the ticket number and "order number" (which, the helpful info icon tells me, is "six digits or numbers" - I assume it's the record locator.) So I input all that info and click "add a missing flight" - and the site just goes into hang mode, with the spinning circle of interminable death. Several repeated attempts and trial and error later, I realize that inputting the ticket number and record locator is to blame. If I leave that info out, then it accepts the flight info, and the flights show up under the "submitted for updating" link. Of course, we'll see when/if those flights do get credited.

Was this website done in 2002 by a group of high school students for a final class project? Unbelievable.

for some reason the website wont take my credit card.
i suspect its because they require a passport number- as they have a required passport number field.
This field is not relevent to credit cards outside of Israel- so i suspect that either their payment system is down or this field is blocking transactions.Not matter what i enter in.
uber annoying.

To answer my own question, EL AL has said that they are having "issues" processing transactions with Amex for cards issued outside of Israel.

After repeated discussions here on FT, PMs with LY reps, phone calls, etc., I still cannot select seats for any flight booked outside of LY's website. I need to call in to have the seats booked. Incredibly enough, my TA is (usually) able to book the seats even though the TA didn't actually book the flight. But LY's very own website cannot book the seats. And I still have a hanging flight without seats booked.