Flying high. El-Al
El-Al, American Airlines sign code share agreement
Israel's national flight carrier teams up with aviation giant to grant passengers direct flights to 20 new destinations in US, Canada; adds seven new planes to fleet
Israel's El-Al Airlines and US-based American Airlines announced Wednesday they have signed a code share agreement, declaring a first of its kind mutual aviation cooperation.
American Airlines was formed in 1930 and is considered the largest airline company in the world, with 10,000 pilots, 72,000 employees and a fleet of 1,000 planes.
According to the code share, American Airlines will make 20 of its flight destinations in the US and Canada available to El-Al passengers.
The destinations, to which El-Al cannot provide direct flights to, include among others Boston, Chicago, Washington DC, San Francisco, Dallas, Seattle, Denver, St. Louis, Orlando, San Diego, Cleveland and Honolulu.
The agreement is pending the Transportation Ministry and FAA's (US' Federal Aviation Agency) approval. Should it go through, it will take affect in early 2008.
Meanwhile, El-Al has recently announced buying four new 737- 800 Boeing commercial airliners, one of which is expected to come in use during 2008 and the other three in 2009.
The acquisition, complete with the all the modifications and accommodations needed to fit the airliners to El-Al's need, is expected to total some $194 million.
The new planes will join two other 737-800 Boeing airliners, as well as a 777 and 747-400 airliners, recently purchased in order to meet the demand for flights on El-Al's US and Asian lines.
El-Al's airliner fleet has 41 planes.
