Israeli carrier to refresh its business class with direct aisle access product. Israeli flag carrier El Al will be giving its small Boeing 777-200 fleet a partial cabin refresh. The good news is that business class passengers will have an all-new product that offers direct aisle access regardless of the seat. The bad news is that first class will no longer exist for this aircraft’s seating configuration.
According to One Mile At A Time and simpleflying.com, El Al is installing a new business class product on its small fleet of six Boeing 777s. With an average age of nearly 19 years, these jets have certainly seen their fair share of usage, and it looks like El Al hopes to remain competitive with a modern premium product.
One Mile At A Time notes that just two of the six aircraft will be reconfigured initially and are expected to be in service by the summer. However, there is more uncertainty with the remaining four. Indeed, it’s noted that the airline may decide to retire some or all of them. The decision would appear to depend on anticipated travel demand and lifetime maintenance costs, given the relatively old age of the jets. While two 777s are approaching 15 years of age, the other four are around the 20-year mark.
El Al’s 787-8/9 Dreamliners are fitted with a 1-2-1 business class configuration, and it looks like the 777s will follow this example. This will mean direct aisle access for all seats in this class, whether you’re seated at the window or in the center cluster of seats. As is the modern industry standard for full-service carrier business class, the seats will be fully lie-flat.
However, it remains to be seen whether or not the new 777 product will be identical to what’s offered on the 787s. This particularly important detail will be announced in the coming months.
