Delta Air Lines and Israel’s EL AL Sign Strategic Partnership Agreement

One of the U.S.’ “Big Four” carriers, Delta Air Lines, has just entered into an agreement creating a new strategic partnership with Israel’s national carrier, EL AL Airlines, which will make it easier and more convenient than ever for customers to visit the key Middle Eastern country.

The two airlines’ newly formed alliance will result in more convenient connections being offered for those flying between the U.S. and Israel. Thanks to a reciprocal codeshare arrangement, passengers will be able to book both legs of their flight on a single itinerary. And, at the airport, they’ll be able to seamlessly check in for their entire journey, even with connecting flights split between the two carriers, get their boarding passes and check baggage all the way through to their final destination.

Customers will also enjoy reciprocal frequent flyer benefits, including the ability to earn and redeem points between the two airlines’ individual loyalty programs. Delta maintains similar codeshare agreements with 19 other global airlines as a member of the SkyTeam alliance.

Delta currently offers up to 200 same-day connections from Tel Aviv, routed through its U.S. gateways in Atlanta, Boston and New York’s JFK airport. At the same time, EL AL provides prospective passengers with nonstop options for travel to Tel Aviv from Boston and New York-JFK, in addition to its service from Los Angeles, Miami and Newark.

“Working closely with EL AL will further strengthen Delta’s connection to Israel by offering more customers unrivalled access to destinations across the U.S.,” said Matteo Curcio, Delta’s Senior Vice President for Europe, Middle East, Africa and India. “Enhanced partnerships are integral to our long-term strategy to better connect Delta customers around the world.”

“We are delighted to offer our customers new ways to discover exciting destinations on both sides of the Atlantic through our partnership with Delta,” said Shlomi Zafrany, EL AL’s Vice President Commercial and Industry Affairs. “This partnership marks another important milestone in our long-term strategy and offers our customers unparalleled service.”

According to Travel + Leisure, more than 2.6 million travelers visited Israel in 2022, including a massive rebound of North American tourists, representing was a huge leap from the 397,000 arrivals seen amid the pandemic in 2021. And, 2023 seems to be continuing the upward trend, with Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport reporting its highest-ever passenger volumes.