EL AL, Israel’s national airline, recently carried a recipient of a partial artificial heart on a trans-Atlantic flight, the first time this feat has ever been reported possible due to the special necessary technical requirements.

Seventy-one year-old Israeli Gershon Gefen wanted to visit his daughter in the U.S.A. after fully recovering from his heart device implantation procedure last year. Gefen turned to many airlines to assist with his challenging transport and was repeatedly refused. So EL AL, with the assistance of the airline’s chief electronics officer, provided Gefen with a device to connect his heart to an in-flight power line which resulted in a successful test run. Gefen returned to Israel following a wonderful three-week visit to the U.S.A. and praised EL AL saying, “Without the help of EL AL, I would never have gotten off the ground.”

To better accommodate EL AL passengers traveling to Israel for special medical treatment at the internationally respected Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem, the airline has partnered with S.P.A. Travel which provides special services to ensure maximum comfort and convenience. As the trend of traveling abroad for more affordable yet high quality healthcare in international medical facilities increases, this is another unique service option EL AL is offering.

Travelers seeking more information can contact the EL AL Medical Desk at 1-800-223-6700.  Specially trained EL AL representatives work with passengers to minimize the stress of travelling to Israel to fulfill their medical requirements.

EL AL has also signed an agreement with the DMZ Medical Center at the Dead Sea, a medical spa skin care center run by dermatologists which specializes in natural treatments for a variety of skin disorders as well as arthritis. To find out more about an attractively priced Dead Sea package, please call 1-800-EL AL SUN.

For more information on medical travel to Israel on EL AL, passengers should contact the airline at (800) 223-6700.

(YWN Desk – NYC)