EL AL partnership with Delta [Master Thread]
 

https://www.elal.com/eng/general/press-release/elal-delta-code-share?cid=DM380610&bid=888453244

This seems like a very good move for El Al to link up with Delta in this way. Maybe El Al will use Delta codeshares to fill in the Shabbat gaps in their schedule. The reciprocal frequent flyer benefits will also be useful for people who infrequently fly El Al (although it probably wont be easy to add a Delta frequent flyer number to an El Al resrvation).

What effect will this have on LY codeshares with AA and reciprocal mileage earning with AS?

Also — does this portend LY joining SkyTeam?

The possibilities with Delta, Air France and Virgin Atlantic would make this a very compelling proposition for the customer. Fingers crossed.

Apparently this is a first step in getting El Al into Skyteam.
https://www.flightglobal.com/airline...153966.article

Although an exciting headline, I don't see how LY would manage to join SkyTeam.
Saudia & Garuda would present some obstacles. Maybe Garuda more than Saudia.

Also, unless IAA & TLV management, along with LY, COMPLETELY overhaul the arrivals & transit flow / infrastructure in TLV then I think there's no point in joining SkyTeam.
Essentially, there's no point unless LY becomes a viable and convenient option for connection traffic from Europe to Asia / Australia or vice versa to North America.

It will be interesting to see if El Al (LY) decides to make the jump to join a global airline alliance, in this case SkyTeam, or remain with those that seem to find greater fiscal benefit from independence or cross-alliance relationships, including Philippine Airlines (PR).

What would LY gain from joining Skyteam (or any other alliance)? Israel is an O/D market exclusively - who in their right mind would transfer there? - and LY essentially has Israeli travelers in a lock for loyalty because, if you live in Israel, there is no other global airline for you. Sure, you could get status by flying another airline (TK, LH, BA, RJ - whatever) and connecting through their hubs, but that's far less convenient than a nonstop, and I would think business travelers flying on someone else's 10 agorot would tend to prefer a nonstop, and unless they fly to a given destination 10 times a year or something and can build up status on a foreign carrier, it probably makes sense for frequent flyers to stick with LY.

So, if we assume Israeli travelers already have an incentive to stick with LY, what does LY get by making it easier for those travelers to fly on foreign airlines instead? I would argue, not much. Furthermore, what would make the other Skyteam airlines attractive to LY? Is there really huge, untapped demand among Aeroméxico or TAROM frequent flyers to fly to Israel? Or pent-up demand by Israelis to earn miles on Garuda or China Eastern? I guess AF would be a valuable relationship given the Jewish population in France and just general tourist demand, but that could be dealt with via a bilateral agreement, much like the new one with DL. No need to join Skyteam for that.

So that suggests to me that this partnership with DL is an effort by LY to make itself more attractive specifically to DL flyers based in the US who might otherwise avoid flying LY because it didn't provide them with any status/loyalty opportunities. So, sure, if I'm a Skymiles elite flying to Israel and find an LY flight sold by DL that's cheaper than other options, I'd be more likely to book that flight because I can get credit for it. And I suppose this will help funnel people who live in secondary US markets to LY flights, so there could be more incremental business for LY from that. And if demand from the US to Israel is surging, it would make sense for DL to want to get in on the action, and maybe this allows DL to capture incremental revenue more efficiently than by deploying more of its own planes. Although it's not like the US-Israel market is underserved, is it? I mean, AA added new service and then promptly cancelled it (yes, covid and AA's own strategic confusion likely played a major role there, but still). LY itself has apparently abandoned plans to serve ORD (again). But anyway, I trust DL and LY have a better grasp of the economics than I do.

The part relevant to,this thread starts in the fourth paragraph.

https://www.jpost.com/international/article-749996

Delta / El Al flight seat selection
 

I booked a flight with Delta miles, but now it's ELAL because Delta cancelled all flights to TLV. They said I can only select seats on EL AL’s website. However, every time I select a seat on EL AL, it doesn't save, and when the browser refreshes, the seat number isn’t shown as selected. My ticket is for Business class. I'm worried I won’t be able to get a seat on the flight. What should I do?

I called El Al, but they said I need to call Delta. Delta says I need to call El Al. I'm being tossed around here and cannot find answers. Does anyone know how to confirm a seat with El Al?

Welcome to Flyertalk! I've moved this to our El Al forum, where you're likely to get the best answers.

chgoeditor
co-mod Info Desk

Maybe try a different browser? Also are you pulling up your reservation using the full 006 ticket number? This works for me reliably….

If you call EL AL just give them the EL AL PNR. Don’t start the story with Delta this or that.

Welcome to FlyerTalk!

The operating carrier (in this case, El Al) should assign your seat. Call them and if you don't have an El Al booking number (PNR), just give them the flight number, date and your name and they should be able to pull the reservation. Then they should easily assign a seat for you.

Shuly

I booked an award seat on Alaska CDG to TLV elal. Had no problem assigning seats. Even buy extra space seat with more leg room.

But on the other hand, a friend of mine tried to register for Matmid. No luck the website is not working. She called her travel agent and she told her Matmid registration is not working. She emailed tell oren, which is an email address for customer service and they answered the functionality works for us there is no problem the problem is on your side. Bearing in mind Israel is at war for almost 6 months I do understand why website is lacking and no special support but overall ELAL is decent. The flights were ok. Albeit for the price they charge they should give you first class service and they don't

Erez

ElAl has no first class section. Their business is more like first in terms of seat but service is— business!