Here are some observations based on a recent flight from Tel Aviv through Frankfurt to Boston…
Israeli physical scrutiny is somewhat lax compared to American or German procedures. Adult passengers keep their shoes on. Passengers can keep a water bottle. An oversized tube of sunscreen does not get anyone excited. One exception is that tablet computers must be removed from luggage for X-ray. Human bodies are screened with a metal detector, not a Get Smart-style Tube of X-Rays. The bulwark of Israeli airport security seems to be sorting passengers by risk. A middle-aged U.S. citizen traveling with a child? Wave them through. A man in his 20s traveling alone? Time for a conversation.
Changing terminals in Frankfurt requires going through German security screening. The liquids and sunscreen tube that didn’t bother the Israelis have to be tossed (unlike in the U.S., however, the screeners acknowledge the absurdity of the rule and gently apologize for it even as they are enforcing it). Everyone, including young children, has to be X-rayed.
Separately, here is one thing that you won’t see in a U.S. or German airport…
Was that one thing that picture of Israeli Haredi- or just for the Lubavitcher security pat-down for male passengers (and a separate one for their women)?
Also, I wonder if flying specifically El-Al from Frankfurt to the USA doesn’t involve screening by Israeli personnel instead of general German Airport ditto. In pre-2001/9/11 era I once flew Yemeni Airways from London to NYC, and have a vague recollection of being screened and then herded into a corralled-off pen by the airline’s own, suave, all Omar-Sharif-like personnel (inside the secure/ Tax Free area).
I don’t get it. What am I supposed to be seeing?
I flew from Frankfurt to Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) on Saudi Air in 2008.
Ran to correct gate since fearful I was late.
No one at gate.
Assumed I missed it.
But no, plane still there so I walked down gangway & walked on plane & found my seat.
No one at gate.
No one at plane door to check ticket.
I just walked on plane.
Amazing.
What you won’t see is a Lubavitch counter.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chabad (Redirected from Lubavitch)
Steve, I get that there is a Lubavitch counter in Tel-aviv, but that no so-NAMED one will ever be seen in the US or Germany (but perhaps CHABAD?)
Got it so far. But ?WHY? (do not assume others are so well-versed in the finer points of Lubavitch-or-Chabad chicken-or-egg? as apparently Phil and yourself).
Germans will go through your luggage carefully and remove the packet of seeds you got in ‘Dam and hid inside a book in the middle of a stack and not say a word.
Americans will treat you as a suspect because you check a bag that you could have carried on. (And not be part of that whole ugly scene of people overstuffing the overheads). They still are suspicious after you tell them you are not paying $35 because you have the credit card that is advertised on a wall poster nearby.
Then they go through your bag and really ruffle up all your shirts and leave a white tag boasting about what they did.
ianf: The first rule of Chabad Outreach is that you don’t talk about Chabad Outreach (but it is okay to post photos of men donning tefillin and davening).
Phil: MSG RCVD, Mum’s the word!
(Channelling Eric Idle for added FX:
SAY NO MO, SAY NO MO!)
@ Paul: [the American luggage Peeping Toms with a badge] leave a white tag boasting about what they did.
You have to admit though, that’s a civilized and unambiguous step-up from Robert Duval’s US Airborne Cavalry’s beach assault scene in “Apocalypse Now,” where he left single Diamond Ess, was it?, playing cards on Charlie corpses as keepsakes for their families.