The "SkyTeam Alliance" of which Delta and 13 other airlines are members (see http://www.skyteam.com/en/About-Us/Our-Members/) recently accepted Saudia Arabian Airlines as a member.
El Al, by comparison, has (or had) code share agreements with 7 other airlines, including American, although the American Airlines WWW site states, in bold letters:
Due to a regulatory change by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, American Airlines has suspended its code share on flights operated by El Al until further notice. See http://tinyurl.com/6dtb7vx for an explanation that may, or may not, satisfy.
IN ANY EVENT, Delta, which also flies to Lod (TLV) claims it has no control over who chooses to fly in its planes other than to check that the prospective passenger has a valid passport and, if necessary, a visa to the destination country.
Saudia requires a visa.
From my personal perspective, I would be hard pressed to find a reason to travel to Saudia. Jordan, OK. The "old" Egypt, maybe. Morocco, in a heartbeat. But Saudia ?
Saudia's embassy Web site provides a PDF version of its visa application.
That's innocent enough.
But, like most countries, when applying for a visa the potential traveler also must provide his or her passport.
If the passport shows a stop in Israel, the visa may be denied. (I think Israel passport control still offers the option of a paper entry/visa that leaves no marks on the passport.)
It's unfortunate that while the embassy Web site states that visitors to Saudia must abide by the kingdom's laws (standard wording for any country), it doesn't state that certain laws unknown in most free countries are applicable in Saudia, e.g., bringing in anything other than an approved Islamic religious text, nor does it state that women traveling alone must be met at the entry point by a male chaperone. (Imagine a female CEO of a major company who wants to do business in Saudia being told she can't leave the airport without a chaperone and she certainly cannot rent and drive a car in the kingdom. What would Fiona say to that?)
My take is that I have flown a lot of miles with Delta.
I've flown with El Al, KLM, Northwest/United - Air France, and once with a UK-based airline I hope never to see again; my wife frequently flies Iberia (El Al code share); my daughter and grand-daughter are coming over via Iberia, although she likes BA (despite its incompetency in dealing with threatened work (in)actions). My sister-in-law and family (6 in all) are traveling via American (an El Al code share until the US FAA cancelled that arrangement, ibid.).
If I can get a non-stop flight from Hartfield to Lod and back the same path, I'll probably book on Delta. I won't be risking a ride on a Saudi plane.
Given that some of the code shares align with other counties with "restricted" rights, e.g., China, I have no problem with Delta being a code share with Saudia Arabian Airlines; I wish it was not, but for now it's a done deal.
As long as Delta is ready when I am (and the price is right). . .
