FlyerTalk Forums - Apartment in Jerusalem as a Base for Day Trips

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Jasper2009 put it perfectly on another thread.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jasper2009 (Post 22064063)

I´d definitely recommend arriving at least 2.5h before departure, especially if you´re not familiar with the procedure. 3h if you want to be on the safe side, anything more than 3h is overkill IMO.

I´ve made it from the taxi to the lounge in 20min when travelling with hand baggage only and getting the the low/medium risk assessment, but other times I´ve had the "pleasure" of experiencing the more thorough security and based on that I´d expect 30min for queuing and interviews and ~20-30min for screening of each bag (incl. hand baggage) - and this is the worst case scenario anyone should expect unless you fit the "(very) high risk" profile (in which case arriving even earlier won´t help you). Even with hand baggage only it took me ~1h to get through security.

Unless you´re familiar with TLV and consistently get the "low risk" evaluation I´d strongly recommend against arriving 90min before departure.

Not everyone speaks Hebrew and/or wears a kippah.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mbgg (Post 22060053)

I suggest that you spend two days in Tel-Aviv at the start of your vacation then go to the airport from Jerusalem when you leave. The airport is located between the two cities so it is not necessary to go back to Tel-Aviv.

Thanks for the information. We have been looking at a 7AM flight, so would you still recommend we stay our last night in Jerusalem?

Quote:

Originally Posted by sonomawine (Post 22071733)

Thanks for the information. We have been looking at a 7AM flight, so would you still recommend we stay our last night in Jerusalem?

The difference in driving time between Jerusalem and Ben Gurion Airport and Tel Aviv and Ben Gurion Airport at that time of night cannot be more than 30 minutes.

You have to be at the airport at 4 AM if your flight leaves at 7 AM. Note that the early morning hours are the busiest time for departures at the airport. As noted, the difference in driving time will be less than 30 minutes, i.e you should leave Tel-Aviv around 3:30 AM or Jerusalem around 3 AM. It is not worth the effort and time required to change cities and hotels just to save half an hour.