Does El Al open their check-in desks before Shabbat ends?
Mar 15, 2023, 7:37 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2022
Location: PHL
Posts: 16
Does El Al open their check-in desks before Shabbat ends?
I'm taking LY26 EWR-TLV on a Saturday. The flights departs at 10pm, which is of course after Shabbat ends. I am not Shomer Shabbat and plan to get the airport 3 hours early, like any international flight. Shabbat ends at 7:47pm. Will El Al have their ticketing counters open before that or will I be stuck landside with my bags in Newark?
Mar 15, 2023, 8:05 pm
#2
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Montréal
Programs: Air Canada, Hyatt
Posts: 1,376
I'm taking LY26 EWR-TLV on a Saturday. The flights departs at 10pm, which is of course after Shabbat ends. I am not Shomer Shabbat and plan to get the airport 3 hours early, like any international flight. Shabbat ends at 7:47pm. Will El Al have their ticketing counters open before that or will I be stuck landside with my bags in Newark?
May 9, 2023, 1:07 am
#4
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Zichron Yakov, Israel
Programs: SPG Gold
Posts: 808
I think Newark on a sat night has more flexibility with time slots than LHR. In the past El Al only made it a point that their flights didnt take off on shabbat, but the reality was that ground crew, checkin staff, and flight crew are dealing with flight prep before shabbat is over. Maybe now at least the public facing parts of El Al such as checkin staff will only work when shabbat is over as well.