My major problem with El Al was its punctuality, or lack thereof. My flight from Newark to Tel Aviv was delayed 6 hours leaving Newark and another 2 hours at London Stansted (aside - why would El Al stop at Stansted and not Heathrow or Gatwick?), during which time we were not allowed to leave the plane. So instead of arriving in Tel Aviv at 1 p.m. as originally scheduled, we didn't arrive until 9:30 p.m. Things weren't nearly as bad on the way back - the flight was only delayed 45 minutes leaving Tel Aviv and got into New York pretty much on time. I've heard that El Al automatically delays every departure as part of its extensive security procedures; I'm not sure as to the validity of this though.

Other than the poor on-time record, flying El Al was pretty good as 11-12 hour flights go. The economy meal service was adequate, though I've had better. The flight attendants were helpful and all spoke very good english. Seeing the Orthodox Jews on board praying together on their airplane when the sun comes up is a sight obviously unique to Israel's national airline. As this was still 1998, economy class in-flight entertainment was still pretty basic and we did not have the individual viewing screens.

El Al is certainly the most convenient airline to take to Israel, although usually not the cheapest. If you go to Israel multiple times and have the luxury of choosing the airline of your choice, fly El Al at least once; it is a little bit of the experience of going to Israel. Just don't expect the best flying experience of your life; El Al is hardly the worst airline, but it isn't the best one either.