A Bombardier-built double decker train came soon after. It looked like one of Toronto's GO trains so I suspect it's the standard rolling stock that many cities have bought from this company. For such a short journey, I opted to stand close to the doors so I didn't need to haul everything either up or down the stairs. The airport is just the next stop.
Similar to my arrival the day before, departing from Ben Gurion would include non-standard processing. As I exited the elevator, I saw BA's check-in counters in the distance, although there was a rope blocking direct access and no signage to indicate where to go in. Apparently, the first stage is an extra step where a security staff asked about my itinerary and what's in the luggage. After a short conversation, she affixed a bar code on both my big and small cases. I remarked I'm only checking in the big one, but she kindly said it's just a bar code for the security check. Yet, she didn't put one on my backpack. Afterwards, I headed around behind her to the check-in counter to drop my bag. It was just shy of 3 hours before the original departure time hence there were few passengers around and I went straight in.
The check-in agent didn't seem to be having a happy day although he did the work quickly while another staff came up to me with a luggage tag to fill out for the big case. I proactively asked if there was a delay as he had not mentioned any of it, and he replied yes about 30 minutes.
By now, it's only around 1:30pm and I had quite some time left to go before my almost 5pm departure. So I headed back to the train station to return to the city to see the modern skyscrapers that have popped up along the train line. This time, I could sit with one less bag to worry about.
While Tel Aviv's main attractions such as the historic port, market, and Bauhaus architecture are clustered around the waterfront, the modern stuff stretches east of it along the highway/rail line.
Satisfied, I returned back to Savidor Center station to find another security check at the entrance. The staff asked where I was going and upon telling him I was off to the airport, he had little interest in scanning my bags and waved me through.
A train headed to the airport had just arrived and I was back at the departures hall very soon. Savidor Center is one of several city stations and the airport is only the 3rd stop from here.
A bit wary of the security situation, I discreetly took some photos of the airport to the capture the bright and spacious facility and a few interesting artworks here and there.
With very few people masked inside the airport, life seems to have gone back to normal for their aviation sector.
Seeing another line of people before the air-side entry, and thinking perhaps it's another security check given it's Israel, I headed in. However, the staff told me I had already done security and to go straight into Departures.
There was a much longer line for the actual security check but I had a lot of time so it wasn't a particular concern. Immigration was completely automated using the kiosk afterwards and they didn't need to take away my arrival receipt, just the passport and facial recognition. Given the long line for baggage screening, that kept the people flow to a trickle so there was no wait for a kiosk.
Then I headed down the long corridor looking for my gate.
A lot of people were sitting around the huge courtyard where the piers branch off from. There was even an indoor waterfall where water dropped from the ceiling. I guess that's where Changi got the idea to build the Jewel?
Although I didn't have time to float in the Dead Sea, I was interested in their skin care products thanks to a good recommendation and a gift from a friend who did visit a few years earlier. There was plenty of selection, including the excessive 24k gold mud masks.
I still had a lot of time to kill after my shopping, so I ventured into one of the quieter piers to spot some El Al planes. Unfortunately, all the windows had little black dots stuck on them.
The inbound flight had arrived much earlier so that wasn't the reason we would be delayed today.
Had the flight depart on time, I may still get a bit of light to capture a few skyline aerials as sunset rolled in at around 4:30pm. That time came and went and there was no sign of boarding, or a revised departure time. We eventually boarded well into the darkness and I settled into my back row seat with nobody next to me. The flight was pretty full in Economy and a lot of folks were trying to change their seats and ask about their special meals. The crew had to announce on the PA for everyone to sit down as we pushed back an hour late. The announcement also noted cleaning issues leading to tonight's delay.
A blanket and pack of earphones were already placed on every seat before boarding. The IFE has an antiquated interface and the offering is a lot worse than what Cathay offered on the long-haul I took the night before. As I started to add a few shows to the playlist, I struggled to find where to plug the earphones, only to find that there isn't even a place to plug them in. The jack is actually an empty space while the touchscreen doesn't work. I had to use the remote control to navigate the system and use the next seat's system to play the audio, although even when I press play on both screens at the same time, it is still slightly off sync. Good that they both play the same commercials though.
With the Queen's recent passing, I expected a dedicated section to honour her life.
The flight map is not interactive and I couldn't zoom in for more detail. Nevertheless, it had all the detailed technicals listed.
We took off towards the east and my right window offered a lovely view of the skyline. Having researched the typical departure paths for this flight, I waited patiently until the day before to secure that window seat for free during online check-in. Legacy carriers are also keen to unbundle their costs just like what low-cost carriers do these days, although my Avios redemption included a checked bag.
From this angle, you can see how Tel Aviv's skyline is oriented inland, and not along the waterfront. However, there are some skyscraper residentials taking advantage of the Mediterranean views along the coast.
The crew started with a round of drinks and a snack pack from the back moving towards the front.
Dinner was served a while later from the front moving towards the back. I picked the chicken dish, which along with the appetizer was quite salty. I liked the cheese and biscuits combination to offset the saltiness while the apple pie dessert was way too sweet. Luckily, this is not an intra-Europe flight so the meal was free.
I wasn't so interested in the scenery outside after but some cities came into view every now and then. There was no drinks round after dinner and I never got a response when I pressed the service button. I got up to head to the galley to pick it up myself. There was a crew member there manning the drinks and a separate Walkers biscuit box next door where I helped myself. I didn't mind getting up on my feet for some exercise on this almost 5 hour flight anyway.
I browsed through the IFE again after watching Home Alone, a traditional must-see over the Christmas period. I was intrigued by some retro features such as arcade games.
We flew over London, although it was visible on the left side only, and looped back to land. It looked quite cold out as a blanket of fog rose above the ground.
We landed from the west and slowly taxied into Terminal 5, stopping for a bit. There was an announcement that another plane was starting up and blocked our path. By the time we reached the gate, we were 75 minutes late.
Terminal 5 seemed quite empty as we made our way to the trains for the short ride to Immigration. There was no line at all for non e-passports and I was stamped in very quickly. Next door, the typical countries use the e-passport kiosks, which had a bigger crowd and longer wait. Luggage would be the bottleneck though, and I patiently waited about half hour for my bag.
British Airways flies twice a day from Tel Aviv, with the earlier flight at an ungawdly hour before 7am. Although jetlagged on Hong Kong time, I opted for the late afternoon flight since getting public transport at 4am or earlier may be quite difficult. I was a bit unlucky as the departure is usually quite punctual except today, although the crew were cheerful and provided full service just like a much longer international flight.
For a 4+ hour flight, it was a cheap 12,500 Avios redemption for my Economy Class seat with a reasonable amount of taxes. It seems airlines charge an arm and a leg in terms of surcharges for flying out of Heathrow instead of coming in, as I would find out on my next redemption, the flight out to Canada.
