Flight Number 6H 669
Seat 15A
Departing from Tel Aviv at 08:20
Flight Duration: 03h 20m
Israir was among the first airlines to begin regularly scheduled service to Dubai and happened to offer the best timing and price for my departure date. I paid about $200 including a checked bag for my one way flight.
Israir offers between 1 and 3 daily nonstop flights to Dubai, all operated by their A320 aircraft.
Check In
Israir uses terminal 1 at Ben Gurion Airport for check in. I arrived almost two hours before departure to the terminal to find a massive queue for security which took about 25 minutes to get through.
At check in, I was asked to provide my printed negative Covid-19 PCR test and given a piece of paper to fill out which I would later use upon arrival at Dubai Airport when getting the second PCR test done. The check in process was smooth otherwise and I was soon on my way towards the shuttle bus taking us to terminal 3 where our aircraft was waiting.
Boarding
Boarding was not very organized as all passengers were called to board at once. I waited to be among the final passengers to board the aircraft, not thrilled to be sitting in a small upright seat for the next 3+ hours.
All Israir aircraft flying to Dubai have a special livery with both the flags or Israel and the UAE together, as well as the words “future” and “peace” in English, Hebrew, and Arabic.
Cabin and Seat
Israir offers an all economy class layout on it’s A320s with 174 seats in a 3 – 3 configuration.
I thought I’ve sat in the worst economy class cabins with airlines like Ryanair, Easyjet, and Wizz Air, however somehow Israir’s A320 seats were even worse. I was assigned seat 15A, a left side window seat in the middle of the aircraft. The seats don’t recline, the armrests are tiny, and the tray tables are small as well.
It didn’t help either that the man sitting next to me was overweight, loud, and refused to wear his mask for a majority of the flight.
At least I got some nice views from the window.
Food and Drinks
About 90 minutes into the flight, the crew came around with a food and beverage cart offering food and drinks for purchase. I had eaten in the lounge before the flight, so I wasn’t very hungry and passed on the opportunity to buy food onboard.
Bottom Line
This was the first and last time I’ll be flying with Israir, period: terrible seats, indifferent crew, and no complementary beverage or meal service. The only exception would be to try their new “business class seats” which have been installed on one A320 so far and can be reserved for about $80 extra. From my understanding, this is simply a recliner seat commonly found in short haul business class cabins, however there is no additional service, only a more comfortable seat.