Tel Aviv Airport

Not Verified | The worst experience I've had at an airport. We had to show our passport 7 times. We were not shown where to go, and ended up walking back and forth across the full terminal with our bags and small children 3 times. The 1st security check the line was long and slow, very inefficient. Multiple times those grilling passengers would leave their post with a passport in hand, I assume to ask questions of someone with higher authority. Finally we check our bags, go thru passport control and get to the security check, 1 system only. We are waiting for our bags to get through xray and I see the xray guy grab our passports and take off running. The line is halted, and it's a long line. After a few minutes he returns and pulls my bags aside and said wait. We are now a half hour before our flight leaves, took us 2 hours to get here. Finally someone comes to question us. All kinds of questions, but finally gets to the point. My red and white scarf I bought in Petra apparently raised their suspensions that an old lady must be a terrorist. I've never seen such inefficiency.

Not Verified | 4 hours and 30 minutes to complete the security checks. A lot of pressure and discomfort throughout the time spent here. Very rude and intrusive staff. 1h 30 queuing just to get your passport ‘checked’, I was an unlucky one with 1h interrogation which makes you feel like a criminal. 2h queuing for having the hang luggage being searched. It’s a miracle if you don’t miss your flight. I went there to meet my clients I worked with and it felt like I went there to do bad things. Awful, exhausting, intrusive and aggressive.

✅ Trip Verified | Awful experience in this airport. Went there three weeks ago, they took 2 hours to get through check-in and security. Nearly missed the flight. Luggage came 6 days later!!! Today it took 2+ hours again, and they withheld my (brand new) Mac laptop and my headphones and told me they would ship it to me. In a cardboard box. A laptop, in a cardboard box. Awful experience and horrible handling of individuals. Slow tempo of employees throughout airport. Frustrating experience.

Not Verified | Terminal 1 at the Tel aviv airport is for domestic flights and international low-cost flights. Upon arrival to the terminal, we were directed to security check for luggage, even though we were traveling only with a smaal backpack. We have a person that is considered with Special Assistance, no line or service for families with children or for passengers with special assistance. Everyone has to pack up in the same security line, there is no seperate line for passengers only with hand luggage. At the upper floor, the space was crouded, toilets were not really cleaned, even though threre were cleaners all the time. Seens as if the cleaners were just standing there waiting to go home. Cleaning carts were left in the way to the toilets, what caused a mobility problem for a person with a wheelchair or blind. All in all, the place is hectic. Boarding was strange, passed the gate and stood an hour waiting for the bus to take us to the plane. All in all the place is under-service and gives a bad taste. Pity tourists leaving Israel have to pass through such a place.

✅ Trip Verified | Arrival experience seamless. One scans passport and issued a blue ticket which is presented to passport control. The departure experience is cumbersome. We arrived 3 hours before our flight. Airport was very crowded. There is a security check before getting to the check in counters. This process is lengthy as the officer asks questions about where you have been, church affiliation etc. Check in was chaotic as passengers blocked access to the business class check in with their luggage and themselves. It took the intervention of another passenger to request the passengers clear the way for business class passenger. The signage here is primarily in Hebrew and no clear directions to the departing gates. By the time one gets through security, check in and passport control/security, there isn't much time to relax. This is a very stressful airport to go through. Not impressed.

✅ Trip Verified | It is hard nowadays to say anything regarding of air travel has improved. But the experience at TLV this September took me by surprise in a good way. The airline check in opened three hours before departure reducing stress of any long lines that may be ahead. Security was efficient and to the point no wasted time. The biometric passport control is probably the fastest passport control system less than half a minute for each passport. Duty free shops are all privately owned and operated sadly all over priced and under staffed waste of time and money. On return trip back to TLV it took 40 minutes minutes from arrival until we were out of the airport doors including the time waiting and picking up our checked suitcases. Wow.

✅ Trip Verified | Security screening is multi layered, useless and unnecessary. I was accompanying a mentally challenged 50-year old man and the security at the entrance thought that I was a criminal and he was ok to proceed with the remaining of the security process alone. It was like taking the mother away from a 2-year old baby, that can't even talk. They separated us, without any notification whatsoever, based on the answers I gave a teenage girl at the airport gate: - How many languages do you speak (u trying to recruit me?) - Who packed your bag (not my mom) - Are you a part of any community (latin) - Which religion do you believe in (none) I then was taken to a separate security point where many things of mine were wrongfully confiscated without a decent explanation or even notification. I found out many things were missing even after I got home! They held me there for approximately 2 hours and when they finally let me go, my plane had already left. I spent my last money buying a return ticket home. The personnel at the airport barely speaks English, is deadly rude and denies to offer the services they are being paid for: Customer Service. That includes the people assisting at the boarding gates, the restaurant stuff and the cleaning crew. The only exceptional in behaviour and services was the guy at the Information desk. The announcement boards are all mixed up and not as easy to locate. Many changes take place, like flight times or boarding gates, but you will never know because nobody informs the passengers! It is the worst airport I have ever been to.

✅ Trip Verified | Worst travel experience i have ever had. Arrived 3h early and barely even reach the plane late because of all the excessive waiting time for my security check alone! Staff over there are horrible and rude. They opened all my bags, harassed me in front of other passengers, looked through every pocket of anything inside my bags Unscrewed my lens to check if i hid something there. I've been checked again and again, where did i stay, with whom, did i spend my time, and they asked me this again and again. People are so rude there its the worst experience in my life i will never come back to this disgusting place and definitely not letting any of my friends visit and experience this horrible treatment in Israel airport.

✅ Trip Verified | Very frustrating experience at Ben Gurion today on BA flight to London - not fault of BA First visit to Ben Gurion since 2019 - sensed the airport has gone backwards Travelled this afternoon Lots of flights to Europe take off late afternoon Arrived with what we thought was good time good time Found that pre check in security no longer has flight specific queues Instead sides A and B have 2 generic queues - not related to take off time No effort to pull people out at risk of missing flight Having checked in more further queues to get through for flight security - again no effort to seek out passengers at risk of flight Finally reached boarding gate with less than 20 mins to spare - we were not the last If I ran a duty free ship at Ben Gurion I would be seeking rent reduction - no one using this airport is going to have time to shop

Not Verified | The worst airport experience which I have during last 10 years of traveling. Spent 3 hours standing in the 3 different queues. No signs in which order you should take the lines. No chairs in big hall. Families with small children stand in common lines. All places are understaffed. Less than 50% of possible windows are working. We are lucky that we arrived 4 hours before our flight time. Barely were on time at our gate. Also taxi scammers attack you at main arrival exit. Avoid this airport