Shalom,

EL AL Launches Amadeus – Its New Cutting Edge Reservations System

EL AL is pleased to inform you that the technologically advanced Amadeus reservations system will be launched during April 2008.

This system will streamline and improve service to all EL AL customers and especially Matmid members. It will enable you to enjoy the many services and products offered by EL AL and the Matmid Club, and it will allow us to meet your needs and treat you with the importance you deserve.

We are delighted to introduce a series of improvements and changes that will be available with the transition to Amadeus:

 A decrease in the price of one-way bonus tickets
 Upgrades to premium Classes
 Advance seating
 A change in the time limit for ticketing bonus tickets

Due to the anticipated high volume of incoming calls, we suggest you complete your flight arrangements prior to the changeover to the new system.

One-Way Bonus Tickets Cost Less
We are pleased to inform you that during April 2008, the price of a one-way bonus ticket will decrease significantly and will be 50% of the price of a round-trip ticket, instead of over 60% as in the past.

This is one of several improvements recently introduced by the Matmid Frequent Flyer Club.
Following are the prices for one-way bonus tickets as will be reflected during April 2008:

1 2 3
DESTINATION
Economy Class
Business Class First
Class
ZONE A
Greece, Egypt 250 600
ZONE B
Romania, Hungary, Czech Republic, Kiev, Odessa, Sofia 350 825
ZONE C
The rest of Europe, Vienna, Moscow, Poland, Leningrad (St. Petersburg), Vilna 450 900 1600
ZONE D
South Africa, India
600 1250 1800
ZONE E
USA except Los Angeles, Canada, Thailand, Hong Kong, China 700 1500 2500
ZONE F
Los Angeles 900 2000 2700

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Change of Time Limit for Ticketing Bonus Tickets
As of April 2008, the rules for ticketing bonus tickets will change:

In Economy Class (J) and First Class (P), bonus tickets should be ticketed 21 days from the day the reservation was made. For Business Class, ticketing time will be the same as for paid tickets in W class, i.e., 7 days after making the reservation or 14 days before the departure date for the flight, whichever date is earlier.
This important change should increase the availability of bonus seats and prevent situations in which members reserve several seats in advance on several flights, close to the flight date, with no intention or possibility of actually utilizing them, and preventing many others from enjoying bonus flights.

The following table outlines the rules governing ticketing time limits:
CLASS TIME OF FLIGHT RESERVATION TIME LIMIT FOR TICKETING BONUS TICKETS
Economy and First Class (P, J) More than 35 days before flight departure date Within 21 day from the date reservation is created
Up to 35 days before flight departure date Up to 3 days from the date reservation is created
Up to 3 days before flight departure date (not including day of flight) Up to 24 hours before the flight
Business Class (W) More than 14 days before the flight Within 7 days from the date reservation is created
14 to 7 days before flight date Until 8pm of the day after the reservation is created
Up to 3 days before flight departure date (not including day of flight) Until 8pm of the day after the reservation is created and no later than 24 hours before flight departure time

 Issuing a voucher during 3 days before flight departure, with express processing, entails a $50 handling fee.
 Platinum members issuing a voucher for themselves or for someone in their immediate family are exempt from this payment.

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Upgrades to Premium Classes
A. Upgrade for points (upgrade voucher)
With the introduction of a new reservations system which manages the upgrade process to Business or First Class for tickets paid for with upgrade vouchers, changes have been made in the method. To ensure the utilization of points towards an upgrade to a higher Class, the following details the new process as it will be implemented with the transition to the new system during April 2008.

1. Reserve a seat in the original Class (upgrade to Business Class is allowed for flight reservations based on Economy Class M/S/Y fares, except for Switzerland which is based on the Y class fare only; upgrades to First Class are allowed for flight reservations in Business Class C or I class).
2. Flight ticket is issued according to the original Class.
3. The upgrade is made to the higher Class, subject to availability.

B. Reduced price upgrade and paid upgrade for accompanying passenger

With the transition to the new system, a reduced price upgrade, either 48 hours in advance or last minute at the airport will be offered only for points.
Likewise, it will be possible to upgrade an accompanying passenger only on board for payment and on a space available basis. Upgrading on board will entitle the Matmid Club member to points based on the original Class and not on the upgraded Class.

C. Reduced price upgrade for points 48 hours in advance and at the last minute at the airport

We are pleased to inform you that we have improved and streamlined the Personal Profile Page on the website.
With the transition to the Amadeus system in April 2008, a reduced price upgrade 48 hours before the flight, on a space available basis, will be made according to the preferences provided by the Club’s premium members, before each of their flights, on the Personal Profile Page on the website.

From now on, Club members who are entitled to a reduced price upgrade can enter their Personal Profile Page before each flight, from any place in the world at any time, to indicate their upgrade preferences or to check that the upgrade preferences noted there reflect their wishes.

It is important to emphasize that the upgrade will be made only according to the preferences indicated on the Personal Profile Page.
Changes in preferences regarding reduced price upgrades for points can be made up to 72 hours before every flight.

The upgrade is implemented on a space available basis and in accordance with the upgrade procedure for reduced price upgrades for points.
Click here for the upgrade procedure (a separate link from all the content below that is highlighted in blue):

If you are in the Silver, Gold or Platinum tier, EL AL allows you to upgrade your existing flight ticket at the last minute, in an easy, clear and attractive manner.
This upgrade will be granted during the 48 hours prior to a flight (in Israel or overseas) for Silver, Gold and Platinum members and at the airport for Platinum and Gold members for a reduced number of points.
All you have to do is indicate it on your Passenger Profile. This is subject to meeting the criteria for a reduced price last minute upgrade. You can also choose to have your name removed from this list. Your Passenger Profile can be updated anytime on the e-club My Account page.
It is important to make sure that up-to-date telephone numbers appear on the reservation, for receiving SMS text messages if you have been upgraded. In this way we can assure you that your name appears on the list of candidates for a reduced price last-minute upgrade and we will do our utmost to upgrade the ticket. We want to emphasize that if you are accompanied by a child under the age of 12 we will not be able to offer you this possibility of a last minute upgrade, as we wish to avoid separating a child from his or her parent.
The criteria for priority on the list of members entitled to reduced price last-minute upgrades are in the following order:
1. Type of ticket purchased by the member
2. Member’s status
3. The number of basic points the member earned only from EL AL flights during the preceding 12 months (Basic Points)
4. Date of enrollment in the Club
Before the last minute upgrade, it is important to remember:
 A reduced price upgrade to Business Class are possible on Y, S, and M class flight tickets, and reduced price upgrades to First Class are possible on C and I class flight tickets.
 Platinum, Gold and Silver members who have accumulated 1000 points in 12 consecutive months from EL AL flights only (Basic Points) are entitled to a reduced price upgrade to Business Class. Silver members will be offered this upgrade only 48 hours in advance.
 Platinum, Gold and Silver members who have accumulated 1600 points in 12 consecutive months from EL AL flights only (Basic Points) are entitled to a reduced price upgrade to First Class. Silver members will be offered this upgrade only 48 hours in advance.
 An upgrade from Economy Class to First Class, is absolutely forbidden, in any way, shape or form.
 Children up to age 12 are not entitled to reduced price last minute upgrades even if their status in the Club would have allowed it and even if they have purchased a full price ticket without a child’s discount.

 Upgrades are allowed only on EL AL flights, reserved with EL AL documentation (it is not possible to upgrade EL AL flights that were ticketed by another airline.)
 Upgrades can not be given on code share flights.

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Preferential Seating
After the transition to the Amadeus system in April 2008, and with premium members’ needs in mind, Platinum, Gold and Silver members will be able to enjoy preference in seat selection one year in advance, for every flight.

There will be a greater number of seats to choose from, and the choice can be made through the website, travel agents or reservations representative at the EL AL Telephone Service Center.

TL Matmid members will be able to select a seat 24 hours before the flight, easily and conveniently through the EL AL website, at any hour of the day and from anyplace in the world, saving precious time.

Hey Bubele, you may be trying to simplify/announce information, but the way you formulated this post makes it so damm confusing.

I don't get it - WHAT EXACTLY is changing regarding upgrades? The "personal profile" page with the section allowing you to indicate whether or not you want the upgrade and how, has existed for years. What's the "chiddush"? Is it that you'll actually be paying attention to your own database now? Seriously, nothing you describe here seems to be a change at all - please elaborate for us.

There seems to be a major difference in the case of pre-paid upgrades: Whereas before, to get into First one would need to PAY for I or C class and then use the voucher to get an A class ticket issued, now it seems that the original ticket needs to be issued in I or C class AND then to apply the upgrade to get A class. As I understand it, if I/C are full then you will not be able to get into First via the pre-paid upgrade route, even if there is availability in A.

In 2008, is advance seat assignment still a perk for Elite flyers? I guess that for the only airline that still charges for enrollment into their FF program it is!

Don't laugh. Lucky for us EL AL haven't gone over to the new system used at BA, where only gold card holders get any chance of seat assignment until the on line checkin. That applies even to gold members travelling with a non-gold family member!

I understand that it is a lot of information on one mailing. But it is simply an announcement regarding changes coming after the transition to Amadeus to passengers who wish to do last minute upgrades.

These were always the rules, Carmel couldn't restrict this from happening and the agents learned.

Currently, there is talk of doing this for Platinum, Gold and Silver Matmid members.

DON'T DO IT! I follow the BA Executive Club forum on flyertalk, and it is probably the single thing with more complaints than any other!

Imaging a PL who goes to London every week not being able to reserve a seat for his wife in advance (even in First Class) when they go on holiday - total lunacy!

What could have helped is using the code tag so that the formatting would come out legibly.

That is simply not true. I quote from the EL AL website:

(http://www.elal.co.il/ELAL/English/M...Guaranteed.htm)

Using an upgrade voucher, you can upgrade M, S, Y class tickets to Business Class.

Tickets in C and I classes can be upgraded to First Class.

... ... ... ...

If you would like to upgrade your flight ticket from Economy Class to Business Class, reservations should be made in D or Z class.

If you would like to upgrade your flight ticket from Business Class to First Class, reservations should be made in class A.

The new system is very strange, as it means that if someone wants a First Class ticket they must take one I and one A seat. The current system only uses the A seat. The number of I seats available is not reduced. I can book the A class (for example) 6 months ahead without making any difference to the I seats available (but the number of A seats will be reduced, of course).

Mike, Not exactly true.
Gold card AND Silver card holders can choose their seats in advance regardless of type of fare they hold.
All passengers traveling under the same booking reference as the Gold or Silver card holder CAN choose their seats in advance.
The only restriction I can think of is in First class with Row 1 which is strictly reserved for Gold card holders only.

Other then that, all passengers traveling on a flexible ticket (regardless of whether they are even BAEC members) can choose their seats in advance.

What about paying KD members? up until now they had the same seat allocations as Gold, is this changing?

... but (strangely enough) if they are travelling with children aged 2-11 they cannot reserve seats in advance (at least not until 3 days before the flight). When we take the family abroad in the summer, I usually book seats months in advance. There have been vast numbers of complaints about this system on flyertalk.

i found it strange that the post from LY Insider appeared here two days before i got the very same text in an email as a platinum member - something about priorities that always seems to be a step off beat