Are you familiar with the free solution that shortens the queue at Ben Gurion Airport? A guide for flying on Passover
Today alone, 53,000 people will pass through Ben Gurion Airport - a record number that is similar to the busy days before the Corona. So will you avoid a check-in queue?
How do you overcome the queue at Duty Free and what is the most important free service you will know?
A guide for the Israeli traveler on Passover (and next summer)
Ziv Reinstein
03/04/2022
Sunday, 03 April 2022, 12:10 Updated: 12:49
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In the video: congestion on departing flights despite restrictions on returning to Israel due to the discovery of the Omicron strain (Photo: Reuven Castro)
This Passover (and summer) will be the busiest in terms of passenger traffic, which means a return to the peak year load in 2019.
These are at least the Airports Authority's forecasts regarding Israeli flights abroad as early as this month. Today, 53,000 passengers will pass through Ben Gurion Airport, while in the summer, 70,000 passengers a day.
Staying in the country?
Go to the "Pesach 2022" page with all the trips and events for the holiday
"This month there will be 1.5 million passengers at Ben Gurion Airport and 1.5 million in the summer," says Walla! Deputy Tourism spokeswoman Lisa Dvir. And the weather is below them in Europe and the Mediterranean basin, but beyond that the Israelis have come to terms with the corona and understand that it is possible to live with it alongside a vacation abroad.
Lowering restrictions in many countries, including PCR tests for vaccinated people in many destinations, has also eased the awareness of entering countries around the world.
But the main reason for the congestion and queues at Ben Gurion Airport this year, since we knew of such high numbers of passengers also in 2019, is first of all that a terminal and a half were expropriated from Ben Gurion Airport in favor of the Ministry of Health and corona checks for returnees from abroad. "And we are one of them," explains Dvir. This means that passengers have 60 check-in counters less than before the Corona. Multiply the counters by one average flight of 250 passengers, and on Passover there are dozens of flights a day, and you get thousands of passengers who have to wait longer. Due to all the corona documents and checks to be presented, the check-in time was extended from two minutes to eight minutes - a very significant time during Passover and summer.
Another reason that is critical to the load that we are now experiencing, lies in the workers in the field who went to the IDF, but many of them did not return for various reasons. , Because at once everyone wants to fly now while the system is not ready for this load.
Dvir explains that this is a global situation of shortage of workers, but this does not comfort the Israeli passenger who is interested in good service.
Therefore, we have prepared for you the guide for the Israeli passenger on Passover (and summer), which may reduce your waiting time at check-in.
Returning to pre-corona numbers.
53,000 passengers will pass through Ben Gurion Airport today (Photo: Official website, Flash 90)
Flying from Terminal 1?
You won
Terminal 1 reopened last month for international flights, from which the airlines fly: Arkia, Israir El Al, TUS, Pegasus EasyJet and Visair.
The above companies operate low-cost flights from this terminal - and this allows some space for passengers who do not have to withstand the load in Terminal 3.
Lowcast flights take off from here.
Terminal 1 (Photo: Erez Michaeli)
Pre-flight service
Pre-flight in Terminal 1 is a collaboration with EL AL, where a family member of one of the passengers can arrive with the baggage 24 hours before the flight and deliver it, then on the day of the flight the family must arrive with passports and flight tickets only to Area W for a quick check.
The service is free
.
Hours of operation: Sunday-Thursday 22: 00-16: 00, Friday 13: 00-08: 00.
How long before the flight should you arrive at Ben Gurion Airport?
It has recently been said in several media outlets that one should arrive at the airport for about four hours (instead of three) on Passover.
According to the Airports Authority, there is no point in arriving four hours before the flight, as the airlines do not open check-in stations at this time, but at least three hours in advance.
Check-in stations do not open 4 hours before the flight (Photo: Meged Guzni)
How to avoid traffic jams on the way to the airport
If you arrive with a car in the field, then you should know that Ben Gurion Airport does have the largest parking lot in the country, but if there is a load, you will be directed to other places. The train to the field is active every day except Friday-Saturday (it is not clear why there are no trains to the field until the beginning of Shabbat) from 05:00 to 00:10, and on Saturdays 23: 15-21: 00.
Arriving by train is also better in terms of your peace of mind - instead of waiting in traffic jams on the roads and arriving nervously at check-in.
Corona tests back in the country
Corona tests back to Israel are something that unfortunately still exists, and despite the annoying job that we all have to pay a lot of money for (100-80 shekels per person), it would be wise for you to order a test and pay for it in advance - also cheaper (80 shekels instead of 100) and wait less In line for testing.
To order a corona test back
click here.
Book a check in advance.
Corona tests at Ben Gurion Airport for returning from abroad last March (Photo: Reuven Castro)
Paid VIP service, including check-in
In light of the recent congestion, a groundbreaking service of ground services companies has been offered, offering VIP services to passengers including flight registration, boarding, boarding passengers, changes to the flight ticket, overweight collection and other paid ground services that shorten the headache and waiting at the airport.
The price is relatively affordable, especially if you are a family: about 588 shekels for up to six passengers.
However, companies that operate the service at Ben Gurion Airport such as QAS, Laufer GHI, Euro Handling (Aerohandling) and El Al do not have enough manpower due to peak demand these days and into Passover, so you will find an announcement on the website that the service will only resume on April 25 (end of holiday) .
The solution to queuing at Duty Free
The queues at check-in also affect the queues on the way to your duty-free shopping.
So the James Richardson store offers an ordering service from home at the following link, which allows you to place a shopping order within two weeks and up to 24 hours
before the flight date.
In addition, you can collect the items from the store or back to the country.
It is possible to split the shopping basket into products that you prefer to take on the flight, and products that you prefer to collect on the day of return, as is customary at the pickup station.
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Ben Gurion Airport
Flights
Passover
Queues
load
Passengers