I flew over 20 times in and out of Israel in the last couple of years and was never in the airport more than 2 hours before the flight, and everything was fine. However, for Israelis the procedures can indeed be quicker.
From what I know the recommended time to be in TLV for tourists is 3 hours
before the flight. I never heard about a 3.5 hour recommendation.
When flying into Israel, if you're not flying El Al there's no special reason to be earlier there than normal. But take an extra half an hour for safety. Also bear in mind that it's peak holiday season and the airports all over the world are very busy.
Harel Cain Wikimania 2011 local team
On Sat, Jul 30, 2011 at 13:52, Amir E. Aharoni <amir.aharoni@mail.huji.ac.il
wrote:
A couple of people commented privately and told me that i may be exaggerating. I am not exaggerating: on all my direct flights to and from Israel in the recent years the agents requested that i be at the airport 3 and a half hours before the flight. I am actually happy about it: it's a great chance to read a book instead of email :)
There is an exception, though: If you have a transfer flight, don't worry, because that is supposed to be arranged. If the first part of your itinerary is a short local flight inside North America, Europe, China, India etc., then much shorter times may apply. To be sure, please call the agent who provided you the ticket and ask when should you be at the departure airport. To double-check, call the airline company. Ask about both directions!
2011/7/30 Amir E. Aharoni amir.aharoni@mail.huji.ac.il
Hello,
Some Wikimaniacs already landed in Israel, but most of you will be flying in the next few days.
The travel agent who sold you the plane ticket must have told you this, but let me re-iterate it, because it's very, very important: When you go to Israel, arrive to the airport three and a half hours before the departure! For example, if your flight departs at 22:00, you must already be at the airport at 18:30. Yes, that is a lot of time. It is needed because of security checks, although it doesn't mean that you'll spend three hours in interrogations and X-rays - you'll probably spend most of it reading or browsing the duty-free store. Nevertheless, don't arrive late!
The same is true for the return flight: When you go from Israel back home, arrive at the Ben-Gurion airport three and a half hours before the departure.
Make sure you take a good book to spend the waiting time productively! :)
-- Amir Elisha Aharoni · אָמִיר אֱלִישָׁע אַהֲרוֹנִי http://aharoni.wordpress.com "We're living in pieces, I want to live in peace." - T. Moore
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