El Al is actually Hebrew אל על, meaning "To The Skies" or "Skywards". As the number one airline of Israel, El Al has been in existence since 1948 - the same year the modern state of Israel was born. In addition to being a major airline that bring travelers from 36 countries world-wide to Israel, El Al has also played an important role in Israel's humanitarian rescue efforts. During "Operation Solomon", Israeli Army aircraft and El Al cargo planes flew non-stop to transport 14,325 Ethiopian Jews to Israel in just 36 hours.
El Al holds the world record for the most passengers on a commercial aircraft. As part of Operation Solomon, on May 24, 1991 a single El Al cargo plane carried 1,122 passengers from Ethiopia to Israel. By the end of the flight, there were even more passengers, when two babies were born during the flight.
El Al is known for being one the world's most secure airlines. As a result, the airline has stringent security checks in places that screen passengers well in advance of their flights. Before boarding your flight, the majority of passengers have already had a thorough background check done to ascertain any security issues. As a result, only one El Al flight has ever been hijacked, which resulted in 0 fatalities.
During my travels today, I may have the opportunity to visit an El Al ticket counter. I figure that if I am in the neighborhood - I might as well stop in and check what airports they serve and how much a ticket will cost.
