I will be flying ETH-TLV on a domestic 6H or IZ flight, potentially landing at 22:25, and then have a separate international ticket at 1:20am.
The MCT is 90min, but given security and such - do I have enough time, even if it was same PNR?
I know there is risk in delays and such, but assuming there is no delay - will I make it?
Ive never been in TLV before.

thanks!

Eilat flights go to Terminal 1; the international flights leave from Terminal 3. I assume that your luggage will not be checked through so you will have to pick up your bags and take the shuttle bus between terminals. The recommendation is to arrive at Terminal 3 THREE HOURS prior to departure, so obviously you will not make it, even if your Eilat flight is on time. Take an earlier flight.

MCT doesn't apply here since you're not actually connecting in the traditional sense of the word (i.e., same PNR).

I agree wholeheartedly with mbgg.

Since your layover window right now is about as much as is recommended in terms of advance arrival to the airport overall but you'd still have to deal with collecting your luggage and making your was over to the other terminal and all that, I think it's more of a gamble than it's worth.

COULD it work? Yes. Is it worth the risk when you could get to TLV earlier? No.

thanks guys
I assume arriving at 8:45pm to SDV is also not an option?
the only thing left is to arrive at 6:55 at TLV - 6 hours at BGN..

just realized that 6H website shows an extra flight on that day that leaves at 19:30 and arrives at 20:20, this is much better for me.
Strangely this flight does not show up on kayak/chaseUR/KVS - only 6H website.

Anyone has experience with such flights? Are they reliable?

If you take the flight to Sde Dov and it lands at 20:45, you will probably get out of the airport by 21:30 and a taxi to Ben-Gurion will get you there at 22:00. This is 3:20 in advance of your departure so it is a feasible option.

However, I recommend taking the 19:30 flight if you are worried about delays, etc. If it arrives at 20:20 at Terminal 1 you will probably get to Terminal 3 around 21:00 so you will have over 4 hours until you flight departs - but you will be more relaxed !

I suggest that you go into the airline's web site and check if that flight actually exists.

If the flight exists in the airline's website (Arkia) - totally reliable.
Landing in TLV - you are landing in Terminal 1. You would need to take the (free) airport shuttle to terminal 3. The shuttle frequency is every 20 minutes.

I ended up booking Israair at 19:30 over Arkia at 19:30
and of course Israair just sent me an email that my flight is cancelled...
Arkia is now full, this really screws up my whole day...

Why not take a morning flight, store your luggage if possible, and spend the day in Tel Aviv instead of sweating things by trying to cut it so close?

Just to share my experience:
Since I arrived in Eilat early in the morning - I was able to cross the border with Jordan within 5min of opening. They accept credit cards for exit tax.
It cost 30NIS to get from bus station to the border.
The taxi rate from border to Aqaba was 15JOD, and to South Beach 25JOD. Non-negotiable.. I was able to share the cab with another couple crossing the border who were planning to go to Aqaba, but we agreed before we arrived before cabs. It was clear though we were not together, but taxi ppl didnt make a fuss of it as some of the forums reported.

On the way back it cost only 10JOD from Aqaba center to border. From Jordan side its only cash for exit tax. Mid-day on Saturday it took less then 20min to cross the border.
The israeli taxi cost 39NIS (by meter. I noticed number 2 on the meter which in NYC means night rate). But perhaps this was due to Shabbat, not sure. I heard other people complaining that trip back to airport cost them more than out of airport.

The domestic counter does not accept luggage until about 90min before the flight, so there is very little sense to arrive earlier.

I was questioned very little at any of the border/airport crossing, but I've seen other people getting a bit more, but not by much. So YMMV.

There is also very little sense to arrive earlier in TLV - especially if your airline does not have constant presence there. The counters simply dont open until 3h before the flight and you wont get through initial "did you pack your bags yourself" check much earlier.

The economy line does get long in this "pack bag" line, but business is very empty. The outside security lounge in TLV was closed (Shabbat?), but inside Dan was open.
So if you plan to arrive to TLV earlier and relax in the lounge - dont count on it, you may not get through until T+3h, or less considering checks.


I did not find the security overwhelming at all. In fact some of it is pretty stupid - you cant avoid lying to them. "Were the bags always in your possession" - "yes", but really of course not! I didnt take them with me to the beach or Petra, or anywhere I went really..

Anyway, I enjoyed the trip 100%, a lot of time was wasted on the last day but I guess it was better than missing flights in the end.
There was a guy crossing from Jordan at the same time who had a flight within less than 2 hours. I was always letting him go first, but he was always held back by more questions. I saw him later in airport and he appeared to have made it. But he was really stressed :-)


Forgot to say - Israir restored my cancelled flight but it was too late by the time I learned about it...

Thanks for the update.
Rate 2 on the taxi meter is for nights AND Saturday, as you guessed.
Security questioning is very quick for 99% of tourists, a fact often pointed out on the forums, but urban legends are hard to quash :-)
My opinion is that it's always better to waste a few hours at the airport and not be stressed out about possibly missing a connection.

Whats the "outside security lounge"?

there were signs towards "arron"(?) or something like that lounge as you get into the hall. When I got there the doors were closed so I dont know if I could have used my priority pass or amex to get in.

"Arron" means "closet" :-)
I also don't understand what you mean by "outside security lounge". Do you mean after you go through passport control and down the long ramp to the departure lounge ?

before you pass any sort of security if you dont count person standing outside on the street. the spelling is most likely wrong though.