TLV Security
 

Question for those experienced at flying through TLV. We are flying FRA-TLV (LH first) for vacation then TLV-IST (TK business). Any detailed on the arrival and departure security procedures. Just want to know what to expect. I've search and read various posts. I know we need to arrive 3 hours in advance of our departure to IST. Any other details from experienced travelers?

Thanks for the help!

Unless you are brown or have stapms in your passport from scary countries, 2 hours is more than sufficient for business class. I usually show up an hour before flight with an online boarding pass and no luggage.

More on the rest later.

When I went to Tel Aviv with my husband on his business trip, his business partners told him that I should keep any receipts from tours, museums, etc. that I took while he was at work. Sure enough, when I was being questioned, I was asked about what I did while he was at work. When I answered, I was asked if I had any receipts from those places. Having those handy to present to the interviewer I believe made things easier. Questions were designed to go one level deeper than the previous answer. Example: what was your favorite place you visited? What made it your favorite? I answered I enjoyed the Carmel Market. For the second answer, I said it was all the beautiful produce on display, especially the strawberries, which smelled fantastically sweet. For my husband, he had a letter from the company he visited with the dates of his visit, the purpose, and the names of his contact. Even though the interviewer had no knowledge of the kind of software my hubby was working with, she asked just enough questions of his process and procedures to figure out what was going on. With both of us she was professional and smooth - didn't make us feel uneasy at all. I was pretty impressed how she conducted her interviews under two very different sets of situations.

Let me carify something for you. If you go through secondary screening gate before boarding into the aircraft. They will search you. If you enter Israel airspace. You are required to remains in the seated for 30 minutes rule to/from Israel airspace. Restroom is prohibited. When FA tell you what you do.

When you departed from TLV. You have answered the security questions at ticket counter behind the CTX-5500 machine. They will screening your bag into CTX-5500. Once your bag is being cleared. You can go ahead to ticket counter prior check-in instead of going to hand search near the table. You have spent more extra time to come at airport is 3 hours in advance before your flight leave. Once you go through security. You can kept your shoes on & liquid in. Once you clearing from security. You have go straight to passport control area before you enter the concourse. You have kept separately the piece of paper. They won't stamp on your passport. Instead, you have bring a piece the paper. You should be no problem from Israeli officer.

Coming into TLV, expect little to no questioning beyond the usual customs procedure (European style, not US/Canada style).

Leaving, expect the full TLV security procedures you've read about. For clarity, the previous poster's mention of "scary countries" refers to any country with a remotely Muslim presence, however moderate that country may be. India was a notable exception in my case. I would expect the fact that you're flying to IST to draw some added scrutiny, though I have no actual data to back this up beyond the fact that Turkey is a Muslim country.

If you're determined to be of no risk, you will get to fly with all the liquids you can carry. If you're flagged as questionable, you'll be deprived of any carry-on liquid (including solid deodorants) above 50ml. Eye contact helps during questioning.

Sepharaddim exempt, of course... While I think what you say is right, chances are that if your FT handle is also your real first name, you will have an easier time with TLV security than a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Anglo European named Edward R. Johnson III.

I share his SN as my legal name, I'm a 6' tall white male with killer blue eyes:P,and let me tell you as my last name is German the Israelis have a good time with me. I used to live in Israel and of course they know this before they ask me any questions at Immigration. I find the security actually not that bad. Coming in is very easy and leaving as long as you don't have anything to hide you answer honestly and you're through in 4-6 questions. They have a way of disarming you with their manner and know what they're doing.
Now that I'm a "trusted traveler" for TSA, not the new program I had to get a DHS wavier" I no longer get the inquisition from TSA agents. I had a 95% secondary screening probability before. I'd take TLV security over TSA any day.

Very logical - not - given the level of Israeli security within Israel itself.

If I have a 6am departure from TLV, is it really necessary to show up at the airport 3 hours prior to departure? :confused: That would make a 2am hotel departure - ouch...

I'm blond and blue eyed, and was brought up Jewish Orthodox.

My Mother was a Holocaust survivor, and my parents fought in the war of Independance. I also did my time in the IDF.

However I do not fit the profile, and do get the third degree at scrutiny.

However it is always professional, and if you answer the questions calmly and honesty you will never have any issues.

Is it really necessary? If you are flying Biz or FC, no -- you will get a shorter security line (no matter what airline you fly).

If you have an Israeli passport, it is also not necessary.

That said, I do have an Israeli passport and I do fly Biz when going to the States and I still show up 3 hours prior to the flight. TLV departures is a nice place to spend some time and I would rather not risk a problem.

My UIG (Used Italian Girlfriend) also has an Israeli passport, speaks perfect Hebrew, and refuses to show up more than 2 hours before her flight. She generally gets on board with no problem but about a year ago ran into an unusually long security line, did not board in time, and instead of a TLV-MXP direct flight found herself re-routed through Germany with a very long connection.

That part describes me pretty well; I probably could have passed 65 years ago, or so my siblings and I are told.

First(RIP)/Business/SEN/etc LH passengers who have previously passed through Israeli security without incident only need 90 minutes with checked luggage and 60 or 70 minutes with just hand luggage.

Without a previous incident-free experience in TLV, 120 minutes is more appropriate with checked luggage, 90 minutes with hand luggage. Add 45 minutes to all times above for coach travel.

On Lufthansa, if you have checked in online and have hand luggage only, arrival time at the airport check-in counter doesn't matter to LH so long as you can make it to the gate in time to board. I cut it close at 50 minutes once. But my typical TLV security interview time is 2-3 minutes.

Thanks for your replies! :)

I have never been to Israel before, and as LH was asking for skyrocketing fares (EUR 1600+), I am travelling on Air Berlin in Economy this time. No status. Yuck.

Based on your input, I will indeed be at TLV at 3am then. Is this a generally busy time or is that "sleepy time with only one counter/lane/post/window open"?

That depends more on the time of year -- and November is not generally very busy. Believe me, you do NOT want to get into an Economy line in July or August.