Grumble grumble, TLV...
Aug 12, 2012 | 11:55 pm
#16
Join Date: Nov 2009
Programs: LY-PL, A3-*G
Posts: 1,807
Aug 17, 2012 | 8:37 am
#17
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: LHR GVA HKG TLV PVG JFK
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 4,355
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.
Aug 19, 2012 | 1:52 pm
#18
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 251
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.
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.
Aug 20, 2012 | 1:58 am
#19
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2009
Programs: UA, LY
Posts: 13,179
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.
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.