Flew Saturday night with El Al.
Arrived at 9:40 PM for 12:30 AM flight.
Line for check-in was enormous. It took us almost an hour & a half to check-in.
Was left with only 20 minutes before the official boarding time.
good news!
https://www.shemesh.co.il/en/highlights/plans-to-shorten-lines-at-ben-gurion-airport-digital-check-in-to-be-introduced/aboutSun, Aug 21 2022, 1:00 PM
The Airports Authority has announced that it is working to go digital in 2023 - a move that is expected to shorten the long lines for check-in and eliminate the initial security check.
More than 10 million travelers have experienced long lines waiting to check-in for flights since the start of this year. Now the Airports Authority has announced that it is working to introduce digital check-in.
According to the Airports Authority, digitization at the airport will make it possible to manage departures abroad through independent procedures, "Touch and Play". The Director General of the Airports Authority,Hagai Topolansky, a recommendation to allocate over NIS 50 million to the digital field project. The Authority will launch new kiosks for the passengers' own use, an investment of over NIS 2 million in the first phase - where passengers will be able to weigh their luggage, pay for excess weight as needed and print the tag and stickers for the luggage. The luggage tag will be scanned near the independent delivery conveyors and from there the luggage will be sent to the belly of the plane.
In the coming days, the Authority plans to expand the check-in area for hand luggage also to improve queuing times. In the departure hall, additional technologies will be added to 24 hand luggage check stations, here too they will "expand the rapid use of the complex", according to the authority.
According to the organization, asOver 50% of passengers prefer to check in online. So in fact, with the addition of the independent kiosks - "Touch and Play", passengers will pass the security check only after check-in. The Airports Authority expects that this year 18 million passengers will pass through the airport and that next year the numbers are expected to increase to 24 million passengers. According to them, thanks to those who will switch to the digital processes, times and queues will be shortened even for those who will stand in lines and not check in at home. In fact, the processes of leaving the country will be carried out online and by digital means.
In recent months, it has been widely reported that the queues in Israel are long and no suitable solution has been found. Recently, Tzachi Zilberstein built an algorithm that will provide real-time information on the congestion and also a forecast for 72 hours ahead, with the help of an Internet service called "Mead Oder in Israel" .
