Name: Danny Saadon
Title: Vice president and general manager
Company, city: EL AL Israel Airlines; New York City
Number of Employees: 110
Recent project: The introduction of our GlobaLY/Matmid program
First Job: Summer lifeguard
Little-known fact about you: I speak Italian fluently.

Your Business

Essential business philosophy: Have an open-door policy, delegate with freedom and appoint reliable managers.

Best way to keep a competitive edge: Be a leader, not a follower.

Yardstick of success: Measure feedback through customer service, service-oriented employees, on-time performance and profit.

As a Traveler

What is the most important item you take when traveling? iPad

How do you spend your time on board? Sudoku, reading, listening to music and enjoying red wine

What is your favorite restaurant in the world? Turkiz in Tel Aviv and Quinci Gabrieli in Rome

What is your favorite destination in the world? Tel Aviv and Rome, in that order

About Your Brand

What can travelers expect from EL AL Israel Airlines? The Israel experience begins the moment they check in with EL AL and continues throughout the flight. As the national airline, EL AL offers warm Israeli hospitality, Israeli flight attendants who make you feel at home and the best-trained Israeli pilots.

From the United States, our in-flight entertainment offers a variety of programming in English on a personal TV at every seat in all classes of service. Enhanced in-flight dining features healthy meal options served to every passenger.

EL AL offers the most non-stop flights between New York (JFK/EWR) and Israel as well as the only non-stop service from Los Angeles, in addition to direct flights from Toronto. EL AL has a codeshare agreement with American Airlines, offering easy connections to a non-stop EL AL flight from more than 30 cities in North America, automatic luggage transfer and a free European stopover in either direction. EL AL is also a partner with many other leading domestic airlines, including JetBlue Airways, which smoothly connect to EL AL non-stop flights.

What makes the business-class cabin unique? EL AL’s business-class passengers enjoy the excellent service provided by Israeli flight attendants, delicious Israeli food and fine Israeli wine.

What are recent or future developments for the airline in the North American market? EL AL recently launched Economy Class Plus, offering more comfort and legroom, a wider seat and other relaxing amenities for an additional $150 each way above any economy-class fare. We also introduced EL AL Vacations, a new, easy and affordable way to customize a getaway to Israel. We are in the process of analyzing one additional new route in the United States as a possible gateway city.