santa1

Planning to travel LHR/TLV with BA and return TLV/LHR on same flight. Being aware of the security issues in TLV is this possible. Also can someone advise me if on line check in is possible as evidently I could do this before boarding the outward flight.

Any advice appreciated. Cannot find anything on seach facility to cover this

Santa

Wensleydale

Santa, my guess is that this would be very difficult.

I flew out of TLV last week and arrived at the airport 90 minutes before my BA flight (much later than the airlines recommend). TLV has two security checks - at check-in and at passport control. I sailed through these with no problems, but my colleague who had a LH flight at the same time got stopped and asked why he was so late. They then proceeded to take everything out of his luggage and went through every possible check you can do without rubber gloves. (On the plus side I've never felt so safe on a plane.)

Basically, if you do anything out of the ordinary it will bring greater security attention and leaving on the same plane will presumably raise lots of questions.

With the BA plane on the ground only 90 minutes I think this will be difficult.

I didn't try OLCI so don't know if it's available from TLV.

millionmiler

You won't make it out through security and back in 90 minutes in TLV if you are planning a turn around as stated. There have been times that just the questioning by Israel security has taken me longer than 90 minutes (e.g., the last time I was there last year). The questioning can be intense and is designed to confuse you. They don't screw around there.

However, if you are determined to try then you can pay for a special VIP service in which someone will typically meet you at your gate and walk you out through security and then allow you to get in the fast line (which can still be slow due to long question and answer periods) back through.

You can also assume that an Israel security agent assigned to your return flight will be sitting next to you on the way back.

salut0

There is a transit hall in TLV but I'm not sure how it works -- there's some information here:

http://www.iaa.gov.il/Rashat/en-US/A...sitPassengers/

The airport website says:

--

Passengers arriving with a foreign airline, will collect their baggage (if necessary) in the Transit Hall and will continue the transit passenger process, which is of the same as for inbound passengers arriving on Israeli airlines, and includes:

Security check in the Transit Passengers Hall

Obtaining a boarding pass for the next leg of their journey, in the Transit Hall

Transition to the Rotunda, on Level 1. Link to to the Rotunda via the Connector.

Continue to the appropriate Concourse and exit gate.

--
Nonetheless, perhaps someone on the El Al board has some advice?

santa1

Thanks folks for the answers provided. I certainly had concerns about doing this although I thought that as I was not 'entering' the country and only transiting that it might be somewhat easier. I have been to TLV and found the entry procedures easy (no luggage !!). The exit procedures somewhat different although extremely professional. Would be in F for departure which would give me the priority line but the query concerning the transit procedure and the trouble of explaining what I was doing would no doubt raise many questions. I will try the El Al Forum as suggested in case I can secure any informations there.

If anyone here still has advise I would of course welcome it as I would be flying BA in and out

Santa

virtualtroy

true and what nobody has addressed is the situation for intl-intl flights as a transit pax. Agree with previous comment though, anything which is remotely unusual (flying in/out on the same flight would surely qualify) will likely subject you to even greater than the usually rigorous security measures.

millionmiler

Sorry, I should have mentioned that I have flown JFK-JNB on El Al through TLV. I stayed in the transit area but was subjected to questioning prior to entering it. This trip was about 3 years ago at the old airport so its possible that the situation is different now but I doubt it.

virtualtroy

Me too (at least as far as the last sentence is concerned). Which ever airline you fly on out of TLV, the security will be uncompromising. But always interesting to note which nationalities get most readily flagged up with the appropriately hazardous-coloured sticker. Brits, I'm afraid we're usually out of luck; Yanks seem to have pretty good luck; most mainland Europeans seem to pass unfettered (perhaps, apart from Spain). The agents took a particular dislike to UN passports.

Naturally, all of this changes frequently. Merely experience of last visit a couple of months ago.

TEX277

I was briefly considering the same thing until I thought that just one night in TLV would be fine. We depart LHR on Monday and am thoroughly looking forward to it.

Whilst we have so many with TLV experience about, please forgive me for hijacking the thread to ask one question.

The FCO website states:

How regular an occurrence is this?

salut0

It isn't surprising that Israeli security checkers are giving British passport holders closer attention after this:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Sto...947080,00.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3543269.stm

salut0

I think this is more honoured in the breach than in the observance. I have never been asked to leave a deposit on a computer or camera, and nor has anybody I know.

YMMV, however...

In any case, if it did in fact happen, I'm sure they'd just put it on a CC and then void the charge once you leave so you won't actually have to pay anything.

Wensleydale

I go through TLV about 2/3 times a year and have never seen it happen. However I think clubman and jonnye are the resident TLV experts.

TEX277

Many thanks for putting my mind at rest salut0 and Wensleydale ^

vSFU

OLCI and PYOB both work in TLV.

antichef

FWIW, i did this last August. There was a little "local difficulty" going on with lebanon, so circumstances might have been tighter than normal - but i certainly felt well checked at the end. 90 mins was not enough for a transit run.

i flew lhr-tlv and was transiting through to Jordan by Royal Jordanian to Amman then on to Aqaba. i was the only transit passenger in the place. it was deserted, and i had to wait for ages for someone to arrive (i only had hand luggage).

i got a thorough and professional search of everything i carried (i have lived and worked around belfast for the last 30 years so have seen the routine!). it was the most minute check of every item, and i only had hand luggage.

got a thorough questioning about why i was transiting via Israel. - particularly in view of the local events. they thought it a little odd. they were thoroughly polite and smiling throughout. you can expect the same because you are doing something unusual.

telling them i was the duty solicitor called out to a job in Jordan and this was the easiest way to link to my four flights did have them puzzled, but they accepted it when i showed them the itinerary. my return was by RJ direct from amman to LHR, because the timings fitted.

OT - it took Lawrence of Arabia a week on a camel to get to Aqaba, it took me nearly 3 days by jets! thats progress