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EL AL has a fairly standard baggage policy when it comes to allowances for checked luggage (1 in economy (excluding the Lite Fare), 2 in premium economy, and 2 in business).
However, you’ll pay above-average fees for each piece over your included allowance. For the majority of EL AL’s routes, these fees are time sensitive, so you’ll want to purchase these extra bags as soon as you know you’re bringing them.
That being said, EL AL is a bit more generous than most when it comes to carry-on luggage for customers flying in business.
1 personal item: FREE
Economy (Lite and Classic): 1 standard carry-on item FREE (8 kg)
Economy Flex: 2 standard carry-on items FREE (12 kg total; 8 kg max individual)
Premium: 2 standard carry-on items FREE (12 kg total; 8 kg max individual)
Business: 2 standard carry-on items FREE (20 kg total; 16 kg max individual)
Economy: 1 standard carry-on item FREE (8 kg)
Premium: 2 standard carry-on items FREE (12 kg total; 8 kg max individual)
Business: 2 standard carry-on items FREE (20 kg total; 16 kg max individual)
Size Restrictions
Lap Infant Carry-on Policy
Stroller Check Policy
All checked bags must adhere to a max weight of 32 kg and max linear dimensions of 158 cm.
Light Fare: 0 bags (for purchases only)
Economy (Classic and Flex): 1 bag (23 kg) included*
Premium: 2 bags (23 kg) included
Business: 2 bags (32 kg) included
*Economy Flex fares to/from Far East and South Africa have a free baggage allowance of 2 x 23 kg.
Lap Infant Checked Bag Policy
For baggage fees related to special luggage (sporting equipment, musical instruments, etc.) please refer to EL AL’s policy.
| Flights To/From | Service Type | Up to 3 Hours Before the Flight | Less Than 3 Hours Before the Flight |
| Europe and the Middle East | Adding a piece of checked baggage | The fee varies | $90 |
| Overweight baggage Between 23 kg and 32 kg | The fee varies | $90 | |
| Oversize baggage (158 to 277 cm) | $65 | $100 | |
| The Far East and Africa | Adding a piece of checked baggage | The fee varies | $140 |
| Overweight baggage Between 23 kg and 32 kg | The fee varies | $140 | |
| Oversize baggage (158 to 277 cm) | $65 | $140 | |
| North America | Adding 1 piece of checked baggage | $105 | $130 |
| Adding a second or subsequent piece of checked baggage | $185 | $200 | |
| Overweight baggage Between 23 kg and 32 kg | $105 | $130 | |
| Oversize baggage (158 to 277 cm) | $185 | $200 |
The excess baggage policy can be viewed online.
Gold, Platinum, and Top Platinum EL AL Matmid Frequent Flyer members are permitted 2 standard carry-on items weighing up to a total of 12 kg (8 kg max individual).
For checked baggage allowance, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Top Platinum members are generally permitted 1 additional bag. This depends on certain routes and the cabin class.
Fly Card and Fly Card Premium credit card holders benefit from a 50% discount on an extra suitcase payment.
EL AL does allow passengers the ability to prepay for luggage online.
This can be done at the time of purchasing the ticket or before departure by logging in to your booking on the EL AL website.
If you are checking bags on an EL AL flight, one of the cards below can reimburse you for some, if not all, of those fees. Each of these Capital One cards allows you to redeem miles for 1 cent each as a statement credit for previous travel purchases (within 90 days).
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30 comments
Iris Kadosh
March 22, 2019
Hi, I just paid $95 for an extra bag from NYC to Israel but the website says it’s $85.
Can you please explain
Thank you
Iris Kadosh
Catherine Luther
March 24, 2019
Hi Iris,
It looks like El Al has increased some of their baggage fees since our article was written. Airlines do increase their fees from time to time and as we’re UpgradedPoints.com not El Al Israel Airlines, we don’t always hear about these fee updates immediately. Thank you for highlighting this to us, we’ll get our article updated.
Thanks
Catherine
Olga santos
September 17, 2019
I need to know if you are traveling on a group tour are we charged for our luggage or does the tour pay for our luggage, and if not, what is the charge for the first luggage and what would be the charge for the second luggage. If the first luggage is 50 lb what is the charge if you’re over two pounds more? Could you please help, could you give me a charge please I greatly appreciate it. Thank you for your help.
Catherine Luther
September 18, 2019
Hi Olga,
You will need to contact the tour operator to check whether luggage is included in your package. Overweight bags (23-32kg) are charged $95 up to 3 hours before flight or $110 less than 3 hours before flight.
Amy
May 03, 2019
I have a multi city travel ticket with multiple airlines from USA … on my way to Jordan I am allowed 2 luggage and the way back from Israel it didn’t show any luggage allowance at all .. I have called El Al and only said that they can’t see anything and all flights are allowed 1 piece of luggage per person .. so if I was coming in with 2 luggage why it didn’t show that I can leave with 2 luggage ( also all the people who booked their flight from USA to Israel are allowed 2 luggage per person) how can they fix my luggage allowance so I won’t get charged for the second one
Catherine Luther
May 05, 2019
Hi Amy,
You mention that you have a multi city ticket with multiple airlines from the USA. If you are flying with another airline from the USA and returning with El Al then your allowance would not necessarily be the same as every airline has a different checked baggage policy. El Al’s policy does state that flights to/from USA has an allowance of 1 x 23kg bag so you would need to purchase more luggage if additional is required.
Jerry stein
March 25, 2019
I can’t figure out how to pre pay for a bag (i have a lite ticket).
Is there somewhere in the web site for this?
Catherine Luther
March 25, 2019
Hi Jerry,
You should be able to add and pre-pay luggage by logging in to your booking here.
Thanks
Catherine
Susan Comer
December 03, 2019
Why is the booking site written in Hebrew?
Jarrod West
December 03, 2019
Hi Susan,
El AL is headquartered in Israel. You can change their website to the English version, or use Google “translate this page” tool.
Myx
May 13, 2019
Jerry, I would also like to get a lite ticket but can’t find info on how much a pre-paid bag would cost. Can you share how much it was for you? Was it the $70 described in the article or was there some discount and you paid less? Thanks.
Konjo
May 07, 2019
I would like to take 55-inch TV from Seattle to Addis Ababa.
Erin Miller
May 07, 2019
Hi Konjo, as far as we can see, El Al does not publicly display information in the baggage section fo their website regarding the transportation of TVs. Unfortunately, since we are not El Al, we cannot give you any additional information on the subject at this time. We suggest you call El Al’s customer service line directly and inquire with them for the most accurate info.
Mia Azani
May 14, 2019
Hi, can I bring my 3/4 size guitar as my carry on?
Catherine Luther
May 15, 2019
Hi Mia,
According to this article on El Al’s website, you can take a guitar as carry-on provided it does not exceed 8kg and can be stored in the overhead compartment. This would count towards your carry-on allowance.
Vaughan Smith
June 06, 2019
I too am trying to find out the approximate cost of a pre-ordered 23-kg bag for BKK-TLV-BKK before buying a Lite ticket, but (after spending much time) I can only find the at-the-airport cost of $140. I’m assuming from one post above (Iris Kadosh) that it will be about $95. Does anyone know for sure? Thanks.
Erin Miller
June 07, 2019
Hi Vaughn – according to our research, you can see in the article above we’ve reported:
– Economy Lite does not come with any baggage allowance.
– You CAN pre-pay for baggage during the purchase of your ticket or up to 3 hours pre-flight online (see link above)
– If you pre-pay, the cost to add a bag for flights on any route that ISN’T to/from Europe or the Far East would cost $95 for your first bag and $185 for each bag thereafter.
You can also find this information on El Al’s website at this link: https://www.elal.com/en/PassengersInfo/Baggage/Pages/Excess-Baggage.aspx
Hope this helps!
Sarah Haßdenteufel
July 03, 2019
Hi,
I would like to carry my laptop bag as a personal item with me. Its size (32x42x10 max) is slightly above the restrictions (30x38x18). Do you think this will be a problem?
Thanks,
Sarah
Erin Miller
July 03, 2019
Hi Sarah, sometimes airlines list dimensions but if it’s within the “Max Linear Dimensions” (i.e. the added sum of the measurements) they can be pretty accommodating as long as your personal item can still fit under the seat in front of you. In this case, max linear dimensions for El Al would be 86cm and your max linear dimensions come in at 84cm so hopefully, it would be okay.
That being said, we are not El Al, so cannot comment with 100% certainty… their website does state:
“Passengers will be allowed only one of the following personal items (on top of the carry on allowance): purse, diaper bag, briefcase, camera bag or laptop. The item should not exceed the following dimensions: 30 X 38 X 18 Cm. (these sizes have been approved as being able to be squeezed in under the passenger’s seat). An item exceeding the above-mentioned measurements will be subject to the applicable excess baggage charges (these are dependent whether purchased in advance or at the airport).”
You could try calling and speaking with their customer service?
Steven G Mitchell
November 23, 2019
Is a 39.3cm x 22.3cm x 35.5cm within the measurements for a carry on?
Jarrod West
November 24, 2019
Hi Steven,
You should be fine to fly with a bag this size. Thanks for reading!
Kyrill
November 28, 2019
Hi there,
My wife and I have each have an allowance of 23kg, what if we have only one bag with a weight of 30kg?
Will we have to pay?
Thank you so much
Jarrod West
November 28, 2019
Hi Kyrill,
You likely will have to pay extra. The excess baggage charge with El Al should be $95 up to 3 hours before the flight, and $110 less than 3 hours before the flight.
Thanks for reading!
Danny Dsouza
January 21, 2020
One of my friends is flying from Mumbai to Israel. She wants to carry clay statues of Buddha with her. Is this allowed on an El Al flight? She has 3 such statues. Please let me know at the earliest. Thanks!
Jarrod West
January 21, 2020
Hi Danny,
Yes, she should be allowed to bring clay statues in her luggage. Just be certain her bag remains under the weight allowance or she may be subject to additional fees.
Thanks for reading!
Shruthi
July 10, 2020
I would like to carry my 65 inch TV as extra baggage is this possible?
Do I need to pay anything extra? If yes? What will be the charges and formalities?
Thanking you in advance.
Jarrod West
July 13, 2020
Hi Shruthi,
It appears that El Al does not publicly display information in the baggage section fo their website regarding the transportation of TVs. Unfortunately, since we are not El Al, we cannot give you any additional information on the subject at this time. We suggest you call El Al’s customer service line directly and inquire with them for the most accurate info. The contact number is 1-(800)-223-6700.
Katie Seemann
June 30, 2022
Hi Ayelet,
You’ll need to contact the airline directly to adjust your bag fees. Good luck!
Rachel
October 24, 2022
Hi
Is there an El Al tel number in London UK that is not Super Star agents? I can’t seem to find their number. I need answers to technical questions.
Jarrod West
October 25, 2022
Hi Rachel,
Here is the worldwide offices page for El Al.
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