TLV VIP service
 

Hi,
I was once told about this service, and now actually want to make use of it for my parents visit to israel.
I think its a Laufer aviation service, they pick you up from the plane, take you to a east passport check place, and than bring your cases straight away and help you carry it out, all for $50.
Anybody any experience?
Thanks

A friend once booked them by superise for me, they were waiting for me at the door of the plane and took me straight into a car which drove me straight to the passport hall (there is a door at the left hand side of the end of the ramp you usually come down), they guided me through passport control (if I remember correctly they took me through the staff desk to avoid the line), they than got my luggage of the belt and loaded it into my waiting taxi.

Great service!

In 2006, we ordered this service for my Mom and Dad (RIP), when Dad was already quite fragile, health-wise. We chose Tal Limousine Service after getting a couple of quotes, which were all very close to each other in price. It is called (or was called, at that time) a "meet and assist" service. I think the BGU airport website has a section about these services.

Tal met us at the aircraft, gave buggy escort through passport control and baggage pickup, and then took us to our hotel in Jerusalem. It cost about $200 for 3 people. Worth every penny, I can't stress that enough, if you are traveling with - or are concerned about - elderly or infirm passengers.

There are some other companies, IIRC, besides Tal and Laufer, that provide the service, so you may want to get a couple of quotes to compare. You will want to make sure you know exactly what services you need to order, i.e., meeting them right at the aircraft or after passport control, buggy escort, transfer from airport to Jerusalem or Tel Aviv, etc.

To contrast, however, I just had an excellent experience with my mother, age 90, without the need to order services from an outside company. She came to Israel at the tail end of an extended vacation in Europe, and we arrived on separate flights. But we specified in her reservation that she might need wheelchair assistance for long distances, and that was very helpful when we left back to the U.S. If we had needed it, they would have given her wheelchair escort right out of the taxi, but she was fine on her own through the check-in process. After passport control, they gave us a buggy to take us to the King David Lounge, and then from the lounge to our gate when the flight was called, where they got her on board immediately without making her wait. It was the perfect degree of assistance that she needed so the experience didn't exhaust or debilitate her. Depending on your parents' state of health and stamina, extra assistance from their airline may be enough, at least on departure.

The services a private contractor like Laufer provides are more important, IMO, when they arrive, and have to navigate through passport control and collecting their baggage just after they deplane froma 12-hour flight. In such a situation, a private "meet and assist" service that escorts them from the plane all the way into town is invaluable, IMO. It will make their experience much more pleasant and will give you peace of mind.

If you need additional assistance because of age or health conditions, EL AL provides assistance literally from "door to door" upon return (and on the way out also). Someone will meet you at the door with a wheelchair and assist you all the way through passport control and picking up baggage and then to the arrival hall or taxi whichever is relevant. If you can walk but don't want the long walk down the ramps to passport control then you can order the EL AL LIFT which is a cantelivered truck which goes up to the plane door and takes you directly to passport control. If there are not a lot of passengers asking for this service then they will send a buggy for you. All this of course is free of charge.

I am not sure how other airlines do this but it pays to ask first.

Of course if you are not old or disabled or needing of extra assistance, and money is not a factor and you like the fact of someone meeting you planeside and carrying your carry on for you, then by all means order the private service. At TLV there are 4 moving sidewalks to passport control and except for hopefully getting through passport control faster (it really depends on loads and time of day- sometimes the "special" line is longer than the regular one) I really don't see the cost/ benefit value.

+1

unless a person just wants everyone else to see someone waiting for them holding a placard with their name on it and wonder who they may be

I understand if as you posted a person has a problem walking or cant lift their bags from the carousel, otherwise IMO a total Waste of the $$

as Ive posted before whats the difference if you wait on the passport control line or by the carousel. Ive flown Biz and had my bags be some of the last ones out.

Now if there was a way to insure your bags were the 1st ones out then maybe but at best you just spent $150 in order not to wait around 60 mins.Now it would be way different if the price included a ride to your destination but it doesnt, or if it prevented having to wait the 20 mins min till the bags started comng out. So they would wisk you thru PP and by the time you get to the carousel Bingo the bags are there , as it is they wisk you thru PP and you wait by the carousel 20 mins before the 1st bag comes down and are now $150 lighter in your pocket

I've had some trouble getting through passport control/immigration in the past since my extended family are Arab Christians living in Nazareth/Haifa- 2-3 hour delays for seemingly no reason other than to inconvenience me.

I'm taking my fiance to meet the family for the first time and really want a smooth uninterrupted process- would this type of service help ensure that?

not in the least ,IMO all it will do is speed up your presence in front of Passport Control you wont wait on the line with everyone else, but once they see your passports and You youd be in for the same Welcome, especially if youre Red Flagged in the computer.

All this service really does is speed you up to the PP counter and pull your bags off the carousel. They dont have any In with getting someone passed any Secondary or Thirdary screenings

btw Congrads

Is a Meet-and-Great service still available at TLV? I am thinking about how to handle the arrival of multiple parties, spaced about 30-45 minutes apart.

Yes.

http://lauferghi.com

A few more links

http://www.iaa.gov.il/he-IL/airports...s/default.aspx
https://www.tal-limousine.com/TalLim...b/Default.aspx
http://www.vipbengurion.com/
http://laufervip.com/