El Al Airline

El Al Airline is the flag carrier of Israel, which offers air travel in the country. It has its hub at Ben Gurion International Airport. The airline possesses the world record for most passengers on a commercial flight. By the virtue of its part in Operation Solomon, it is also considered as the most secure airline of the world, after it managed to thwart many hijacking efforts and terror attacks, mostly owing to its security protocol. The airline also possesses a 50% stake in Israel Inland Airlines which is a nationalized domestic airline. Around sixty percent of the passengers traveling by El Al are Israelis.

El AL was set up on November 15, 1948 and in the beginning, it worked with rented carriers. Israel’s first president, Chaim Weizman, was brought home by its introductory flight in September 1948 from Geneva. The airline started commercial operations in August 1949, with a service from Tel Aviv to Rome and Paris. The first flight of the airline arrived at Lod Airport on April 3, 1949. The airline began its cargo services in 1950. Chartered services to U.S commenced in the same year, followed by scheduled flights. In the 1950, El AL Airline also started a regular service to London.

El Al Airline Services:
Frequent flyer program of El Al is Matmid, which was launched in 2004 following the fusion of El Al's previous frequent flyer programs. It consists of five tiers: Matmid, Matmid Silver, Matmid Gold, Matmid Platinum and Matmid TOP Platinum. Points built up in the plan enable members to bonus tickets, flight upgrades, and discounts on car rentals, hotel stays, and other products and services.  They also reward points for travel with partner airlines, as well as for credit card purchases and for nights at partner hotels.  One can collect Matmid points on most flights operated by American Airlines and American Eagle, South African Airways, Sun D'Or, Qantas and limited Aeroméxico flights.

El Al Airline Fleet:
The airline maintains a fleet of over 30 aircrafts comprising of eleven Boeing 737-800, six Boeing 777-200ER, five Boeing 747-400, four Boeing 767-200ER, two Boeing 737-700, and three Boeing 767-300ER. It has also placed orders for 4 Boeing 777-200ER aircrafts, which will be delivered in 2012.

El Al Airline Destinations:
International destinations covered by El Al Airline are Canada, U.S, and Brazil, apart from European destinations like U.K, Russia, France, Germany, Switzerland, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, and Spain. In Asia, it connects to China, India, South Korea, Thailand, and Kazakhstan; while the airline caters to Egypt and South Africa in the African continent.