Waiting after arrival at TLV for gate
 

Arrived TLV on-time from the US on LY. Pulled to 100 meters of the gate and stopped for 15 minutes. Gate was empty and no visible traffic nearby. No explanation - we just sat there. It's not like they weren't expecting the flight. I'm assuming the Airport Authority professional failure. 250 exhausted passengers lost 15 minutes each presumably due to incompetence, unless someone has a better explanation.

Annoying but happens. It's typical of El-Al pilots to not address the passengers, and explain the delay on pulling onto the stand though.

I hate to be cynical, but that should be the worst thing that happens to you. Definitely a first world problem.

Last week I left the lounge early and went to the gate much before my flight was ready to board. I looked through the window as the incoming aircraft connected to the gate, and the ground staff started to offload luggage. They were taking their time. The first 15-20 minutes, nothing happened. Doors were open, pax started to leave the aircraft, the conveyors were connected to the storage doors, but that's it. The first suitcase left the hold after about 20 minutes.

I watched for some 10-15 minutes more. Boy, did these guys take their time. Then boarding was announced, and I could watch them from my window on the aircraft. The last suitcase left the hold 45 minutes after the aircraft arrived.

What I'm saying is that Airport Authority staff are not the most efficient workers in Israel, for various good reasons. Who knows what happened in your case; maybe the guy in charge of operating the gate was on a lunch break, or maybe the security personnel was changing shifts.

These things won't change as long as RASHAT has a monopoly on running the airport. It's got nothing to do with ElAl.

Shuly

There could be a myriad of reasons for this. It's the handling agent which is supposed to send somebody to operate the jetway. Maybe the handling agent had messed up the schedule. Maybe the employee forgot to finish his lunch break. Maybe he had a diarrhea and couldn't leave the bathroom. Maybe there were technical problems with the jetway.


The problems that you describe are tasks that are normally done by the handling agents, and not the Airport Authority staff.

You can probably say that about 90% of the complaints on here...

Who employs the handling agents? NATBAG is El Al's home base and a strong effort by the company to end this practice would get results. If enough customers file protests, it might make a difference. It is the customers' time that is being wasted.

Arrived today, Saturday morning, almost empty airport. Touch down 6:30, aircraft stops at the gate 6:35, door open 6:42, out of the terminal 6:51.

Why does it take seven minutes to connect the jetbridge and open the door? It’s one third of the time from touch down to exit. I can’t think of any other airport where this is the case.

Shuly

Once in CPH, it took two hours to open the door for my plane. But that was because the jetway was stuck in snow. It take it there was no snowstorm in TLV yesterday?

Seriously, though, on my last visit to TXL, it took about 10 minutes.

In my experience, TLV is the worst, it always takes longer that I expect based on other airports. It's not scientific, but I attribute it to the RASHAT employees general attitude.

Shuly

Have you ever been to Brazil? It takes them so long to open the doors that quite often the luggage make it to the belt faster than the passengers...