Originally Posted by
BATLV
Indeed there is a difference in what 30 minutes do to a 4 hours door to door trip and to an 8 hours trip door to door, given not only the total time but also the mere existence of the driving option, which does not exist for those who fly into ETM from Europe.
The drive time from the terminal to a typically located hotel ( Queen of Sheba) is 25 minutes at no congestion. Google/Waze it. Your assumption on lack of congestion is not based on anything and is, I believe, wrong, certainly on weekends. So 35-45 minutes drive is something that will be typical on weekends. Add the extra time of taxiing, bussing and terminal walking and there you go 30 to (even more than!) 45 minutes difference in time on arrival compared to ETH.
Re inconvenience in SDV/TLV1 I mean the mere time spent ( and you have to spend it there for security etc.) in these no-frills facilities.
I'm not sure what's your 8 hours trip is, unless you're talking about flying from Europe to TLV and driving to Eilat, or in the near future flying to ETM and driving to Tel Aviv? Why doesn't this option exist? I did it several times myself.
Actually for such PAX the connecting time that is offered in TLV is usually quite ridiculous (3-4hrs) so then you either have to book separate tickets and risk it, or rent a car and drive.
And yes if there is congestion at the entrance to Eilat travel time will be longer, but so as driving time as most seems prefer to drive through road 90.
BTW since you brought up taxi time, considering the wind direction about 99% of the year airplanes have to circle around and land on runway 03, meaning they also have to taxi it all the way back, so taxi time in ETM might actually be shorter, also just to nitpick the flight time will probably be slightly shorter
Re inconvenience I don't find spending time at the airport less convenient than spending it in a car, I'd probably say they are of equal convenience, but that's my opinion.