Originally Posted by
1/4MM@20
Departure
There is a shorter line for the very first security screening for F/J.
Last October I asked and was told there wasn't.
Originally Posted by
shuly
There are two different security checks at TLV. One is pre-check-in, and is targeted at your checked luggage. If you do not plan to check anything, you are usually off almost immediately.
In my case, they checked my checked and hand luggage and body-searched me (quite thorough and done briefly in a private room before returning to the main hall, but not a strip search or anything like that). But then I did get escorted past the the post check-in security line.
The real grilling is before check-in; agents use profiling to single out passengers that will get the special treatment,
That's me, because I'm special. I'm not quite sure in what way. Maybe it was because it was my first time in Israel. Or because I was on two one-way tickets which they asked about (obviously not familiar with the best way to do redemptions on BA!).
and once you're selected you'll spend some time answering questions and waiting for your luggage to be scrutinized.
I think after the initial screening, the only questions were about the contents of my luggage - that was what they were really interested in.
I doubt VIP service can cut this, but it may be done inside a lounge rather than in the main hall.
I actually felt more comfortable about it in the main hall. They were doing this to a significant proportion of passengers - maybe 10-15% - and several of us were having our luggage scrutinized at once, by a very large team of people. It's a bit like deciding whether you'd rather be interrogated by the police in the middle of Trafalgar Square or in the basement of the police station - in an unfamiliar country, something akin to the former is definitely preferable.
Originally Posted by
shuly
I think they're trying to prevent airplanes from exploding in mid-air. But then I may be wrong.
^^
Quite so. I understand and didn't mind at all. They were very efficient and extremely professional - they really make any other airport security I have ever seen look like a bunch of complete amateurs. I would far rather have my luggage searched by three people for twenty minutes than spend the same time waiting in the F*** Track line at T5 which serves no useful purpose at all. And the experience was much more interesting than spending twenty minutes more in the not-so-great TLV lounge.