El Al introduces new European flight model, closes low-cost brand

National airline El Al introduced its new European flight model on Monday, bringing operations of the carrier’s low-cost brand Up to a close.

Launched in 2013, Up started operations in March 2014. The brand’s service to five European destinations – Larnaca, Kiev, Budapest, Prague and Berlin – will be reemerged into El Al’s operations.

El Al has unified all European destinations under its new pricing model first announced in January, and is offering three types of options at different price levels for Economy Class passengers. Business Class operations will continue unchanged.

“We are pleased to launch El Al’s new model for Europe, which will enable every passenger to adapt their flight package to their personal needs,” said El Al vice president of marketing Miki Strassburger. “Behind the change stands the will to adapt El Al flight packages to the spirit of the time and the wishes of the customers, and to enable every passenger to choose what to purchase.”

Passengers flying to European destinations will be able to choose between three categories of flight tickets: Lite, Classic and Flex.

Lite, a new product at El Al, is the company’s most basic option, including one carry-on piece of baggage and the food and beverages service. Checked-in baggage and reserved seating may be added for an additional fee.

The Classic category includes one checked-in baggage, one carry-on, seating, food and beverages.

El Al’s most expensive category, Flex, enables unlimited flight changes and cancellation, checked-in baggage, two carry-on bags, preferred seating options, food and beverages.

In recent months, the airline has worked with passengers who purchased flights to destinations serviced by Up to inform them of their rights under the new model.

Earlier this month, El Al was rated among the least punctual airlines in the world, according to data compiled in September by airline tracking website FlightStats. Of the 41 major airlines examined, the only carriers with a higher rate of delay in September were Ethiopian Airlines and EgyptAir.

According to FlightStats, 65.5% of El Al’s flights landed on time and 34.5% landed more than 15 minutes after its originally scheduled landing. The average delay for El Al flights that did not arrive on time was 51.3 minutes.

Ben-Gurion Airport was ranked 351st out of 370 airports for punctuality, based on approximately 6,000 flights that took off from the airport during September.

Only 66% of flights taking off from Ben-Gurion in September left on time or less than 15 minutes late. The average delay for late flights was 48.3 minutes.