Transit in TLV

Hi,

Firstly, Merry Christmas to all.

I'll be flying from LCA to TLV on CY, and have about 1 hour before continuing on LH to NYC. How will it work with transfer at TLV? Will I have to go through passport control and customs, or is there a "transit channel"? Will I be able to check my luggage through?

Thanks for your help.

This is VERY pushing to the point of not being achievable it as TLV is concerned. heck, it's not possible in many major airports where security is not a nightmare.

Unless you hold an Israeli passport, make sure that LH knows you are connecting so they have security waiting for you at the transit area, or else you arrive and have to call them on a wall mounted phone - and it can easily take them 20 minutes to arrive.

Usually i would recommend doing immigration and going out to the check in area (LH Checkin is on arrivals level) however with one hour to go between arrival and departure check in desks will already be closed.



email TLV LH (email on lh.com) and advise them of your situation.


danny

There is a transit are, but I have never seen anyone use it.

Even though security there is not so smooth for those who don't have a Jewish nexus with Israel, I find the staff there can be helpful. If you can grab some airport staff on your way to immigration (before entering the long hallway, but after reaching the rotunda), you might be able to get some help. The staff there is flexible on procedure so long as they are satisfied that you aren't a security risk, and if you don't have to enter Israel, they don't want you entering Israel, so they will likely do everything to get you to use the transit area, even if it isn't open. You might find yourself walked through the airport by security without going through immigration. Or you might miss your flight. The most important thing is to try to check-in online for your LH flight and tell CY at check-in that you are a transit passenger when you check-in. I don't see a way for you not to touch your checked bags (for security reasons) while in transit unless you traveled in on LY.

I did. And since then I would second what danielbk recommends: going through immigration and reentering.
Not because the staff is rude. On the contrary on my many trips to TLV I never met one unhelpful, rude or impolite security worker or ben-gurion-employee. But they are really thorough...(for obvious reasons). And the procedure will take time.
Transit is uncommon and needs to be preannounced.
You take a right at the rotunde and go down one flight of stairs. There you will find yourself infront of a locked door leading to the transit security check area. You will have to call security via wall mounted phone.
In my case it took them 12min. And it gave me a chance to have a close look. Judged by the spider webs and the dust, this transit security area is seldomly used.
Then they arrived. 7 young TLV-security people, lead by a charming senior agent, approx 30 years old.

And they gave me a good treatment which took some 40mins. Don't get me wrong, not complaining, they were polite, friendly and smiling. But they checked everything. xrazed my handluggage several times, took everzthing out, scanned it again, swiped it, checked my purse, my shoes, my belt, patted me down 2 times. Continuosly asked questions what I am doing and why I am transiting. And even interviewed the folks waiting for me in the transit area.

Because transit is very uncommon.

Regarding online check in. I had a printed bp with me, that did not matter. Did not safe me any time. When phoning them, they asked from which flight I was coming and to which I was connecting. A nice lady from LH came 20mins into the procedure to the transit security checknd and after they were finished with me, she give me a "proper" bp and hustled me to the gate.

I did ARN-OSL-KEF-OSL-FRA-TLV-IST-HKG-BKK-MEL in 3 days with 15 hours in TLV - guess if they liked me at check-in? I got the same treatment as you but it took about one hour and included three separate teams going through my stuff and questioning me.

No, it was because you were deemed a higher security risk than some others. Look at the sticker they put on the back of passport; what is the number (1-6) on it?

How does the system work ? 1 being safe and 6 being a terrorist ?

Ari, I transited, I had no sticker.

IIRC you only get the sticker on PP and handluggage when going through first sec check before check in.

So if you say that transit is not uncommon for Tel Aviv, out of interest, do you know of the most common transit connections? Is it Lebanon?

No, it is a sticker with a few numbers on it, the sec guards circle specific ones. I was told the meaning of the numbers changes daily.
It is being put in your PP and on your handluggage after initial interview before first screening and the checkin.

I guess what I posted is open to more than one interpretation. What I meant is that the reason you got extra scrutiny wasn't because you were transiting, or because transiting is rare, (and I agree that it is), but because of their security analysis of you. The obvious factors are religion, race, national origin and especially destination/origin. (Essentially, stereotyping). That transiting TLV is rare played a very small role (if any) in your security experience.

Chances are if I did the same thing, they'd just give me the normal security I get and wouldn't take all my stuff out.

I'm a 1 and TLV is the best place to go through security in the world as far as my personal experiences are concerned.

Others aren't so fortunate, obviously. I know a person who was given the highest level of scrutiny and it is not something one wants to go through. He was profiled as such for various reasons (he is white, by the way, so it wasn't his race) but I do truly pity those who are deemed a high security risk at TLV.

It is now a white sticker with a large number (1-6) on it. It has been this way since some time in 2007. There is a space to write on it and there are 8 boxes, four with numbers, four with letters. They will circle some of them. The meaning of the 8 boxes should not be discussed for obvious reasons, but the 1 means the same thing every day of the year and isn't really a secret.

They used to use colors like pink, green, and others I can't remember instead of the numbers.

Thanks for all the insights... well, I changed my ticket to TLV and have now 5 hours, the only other option I had.

The transit situation does not sound very encouraging, I had previously problems at TLV, when I stayed couple of times for 2 days on business. I was questioned for over an hour in front of the LH check-in, why only 2 days, etc. and believe me, I do not look suspicious and have a normal EU passport. Let's see what well be, if I am "only" going to be in transit...

You'll be fine with 5 hours. I think you will find yourself being asked a lot of questions, but different ones since you are connecting there instead of staying there. But I think you'll be just fine with your connection. I'd recommend an online boarding pass; I used one for LH less than a week ago (I was departing, not connecting) and they were just fine with it. Since you have luggage checked, you have to interact with LH anyway and they will likely want to see you and your bags together for the security check.

All you have to do is snag a security person (try to find one in the rotunda by the transit area, there seems to be a collection of them there every time I arrive) and they will tell you where to go. They'll probably just escort you through the airport since I doubt they want you to enter the country if they can avoid it.

When are you making this trip?

Yes, exactly. I am getting fours, had a five once (is still on my handluggage) and sometimes a three.

I do not know what ticks them when profiling me, but most of the time I have very short turn arounds (24hrs or even less) and I am always being asked to which jewish community I belong, if I speak any hebrew, then in the middle of the interview something I feel to be a trick question in hebrew to see my reaction.

When doing the transit, they were focussing their questions on why I am doing that transit, so I really do feel that they were esp. caring because of it.
On top the physical screening and inspection of me and my hand luggage was done before the interview.

BTW, I did not really feel a change in scrutiny when you have that endorsement letter from an israeli business partner.

I will be traveling first week of Jan again. At least they really are friendly and professional while doing it. Completely different experience to TSA or German sec goons.