My ex-TLV DONEx ended with MAD-TLV today, connecting on a separate ticket TLV-MAD. My partner was an award that included MAD-TLV-MAD. We were booked on the IB flight that was scheduled to land at 5 AM, connecting to the same-plane return flight at 6 AM. (Listed minimum connect time for IB-IB is 1 hour.)

We checked in on-line 24 hours ahead for our first flight, to MAD, and boarding passes for that and the MAD-TLV printed, but not TLV-MAD. I assumed it was because that flight was more than 24 hours away. When we arrived in MAD the lounge attendant and transfer desk agent tried to print our boarding passes for TLV-MAD but couldn't, saying the flight was closed or locked, and they were unable to do anything. Iberia.com just printed an error message that the BPs couldn't be printed "for operational reasons" and to try back in 30 minutes. I asked the transfer desk agent to contact Iberia in TLV and ask them to let us know how to transit to make the connection (since I'd read on FT that the transfer area is little used), which she did but told us not to expect a response, as TLV would either do something or not, but wouldn't let us know.

The MAD-TLV flight was delayed due to mechanical issues; we ended up landing about 15 minutes late. The door of the plane was met by a staffer who asked for us (we were first in line to exit anyway) and handed us a printout of our onward connections (which I didn't even look at in our rush), and left.

After deplaning, we followed the signs for the exit, and when we got to the international transit area, we went in. We weren't sure it was open or in use, since the first thing we came to was a row of passport control booths, all closed and dark. We walked through, around a corner, and entered a baggage drop room. Attached was a room with a single x-ray machine in the middle, and a single walk-through metal detector, all by itself. On the wall was a phone, and a sign instructing transfer passengers to call one of two extensions. We did, explained the situation, and within 10 minutes a security person arrived. He listed to our explanation for why we were connecting MAD-TLV-MAD, and was genuinely interested in the xONEx concept and pricing. He also told us that an Iberia staffer and a security screener would be there shortly. Two security screeners arrived within 5 minutes. They also listened to our explanation, x-rayed the bags one by one, had us walk through the metal detector, asked us typical questions (did we pack the bags ourselves, were they in our control the whole time, etc.) and declared us screened.

The Iberia staffer soon arrived, and told us we'd been proactively moved to the 5 PM El Al flight. She insisted it was because "the minimum connect time is one and a half hours, not one hour, and the computer detected this and moved us," but this didn't make sense to me, since the reservation had been fine and we had been confirmed on the flight for six months. More likely, in my view, is that the computer (or maybe a person) noticed that the MAD-TLV flight was delayed and assumed we'd miss our connection (which was still listed as on time). Or, perhaps the most likely of all, maybe the message from the transfer desk at MAD caused someone in TLV to take the action. When I pointed out that we could still make the 6 AM flight, we were told our seats had been given away.

The original security person and the Iberia agent conferred, and offered us the chance to try to get on the 7:30 AM Iberia flight to MAD (which we couldn't book in the first place as there was no U space) but cautioned that it might be in coach. Figuring 4.5 hours in coach was no worse than 11 hours in the poor TLV lounge, we agreed.

The original security person explained that no one was allowed to leave the transfer room without an onward boarding pass, but offered to walk us to the Iberia gate to see if we'd make it on the 7:30 AM flight. If so, we'd get our BPs, and if not, he'd walk us back and we'd get ones on the LY flight. We did manage to get on the IB flight, and one of us even got a J seat.

So, the transfer area does work, and shouldn't be more than 30 minutes or so including waiting. But, I wouldn't book another 1 hour connection.

Aside: I noticed that the print-out given to us by the agent at the door of the plane showed us booked in J on LY, and the final BPs on IB showed us in Y and J. However, neither of our BPs had our FF numbers (or status). I wonder if we'd have gotten credit for a Y and J flight if they had?