FlyerTalk Forums - Grumble grumble, TLV...

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Quote:

Originally Posted by bostonbali (Post 19106493)

TLV now has a lonely security agent sitting behind a podium just before the glass area (where you enter the x-ray area). This is a special checkpoint for people with carry-on only.

I think you need an Israeli passport for this.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmastron (Post 19106081)

Is that true at TLV though? I've never not checked a bag, but I was pretty sure everyone needed to be interviewed and have a sticker put on their passport -- I'm pretty sure you can't get beyond either security or the passport control without going to the checkin counter. But I'll be happy to be contradicted if I'm wrong.

I have many times in this case just gone to 'any' security line, not airline specific. I also always bypass the line and got to business security (no matter what class I fly). Saying that, I am low risk security at TLV if you know waht I mean

Made them same mistake some years ago. My CSA flight to Prague and on to Frankfurt (8 hours layover in PRG!!) was leaving around 6 am. Didn't want to take a hotel and was at the airport around midnight. Tried to check in online, but got a receipt that i need to collect my boarding pass at the check in counter. Which was supposed to open 3 hours before the flight. Luckily it did some 3,5 hours or so.
My plan was to crush at the Dan Lounge. Realized later that they threw you out after 2 hours anyway...

Was a loooooong way. At the counter got the information that they are oversold and they would willing to put me on the El Al nonstop to FRA around 9 am. Nice! Always wanted to use El Al and would save me a 8 hours stopover in PRG. However El Al then had 2 hours delay. Gate was a madhouse, as OK and AF had rebooked tons of passengers of their overbooked flight on that flight, which were then supposed to connect to Paris and they were about to miss their connection. An AF/KL employee even came to calm this down. At FRA obviously they all missed their connection since they had only 20 minutes before departure to get to Terminal 2 (from 1C).

Anyway, did they same stupid error than you. TLV is defnitely different than anything else.

I've always found at out stations that I can't check-in till 3 hours before, and even some hubs in Europe.
As for TLV itself, the Dan Lounge is a contract lounge, so expecting significantly more is unrealistic. It has an OK food selections, including salad, soup, and some other type of food, and drinks, beer, and wine. The "real" lounge at TLV is EL AL's King David Lounge.

But the James Richardson duty free shop is one of the largest in the world, and has (relative to other airport duty free shops) relatively decent prices.