El Al and Etihad, two airlines whose home countries have only recently established relations after years of hostility, have now signed up for a code-share and loyalty benefits alliance.
Starting slowly by adding El Al's code, LY, to a twice-a-week Etihad flight between Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi, the arrangement will next cover destinations in Australia, Bahrain, India, Korea, the Philippines and Seychelles. Later still, Etihad's EY designator will be added to El Al flights to 14 more destinations across the Middle East, Europe, Asia and U.S.
The two airlines will also allow loyalty members to earn points across each of the airlines, and may in future offer reciprocal elite benefits. The points deal is good news for travelers, especially since El Al's Matmid program points can't be acquired through transfers, while Etihad Guest points participate in American Express, Chase and Citibank transfer programs.
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