Ben-Gurion Airport's duty-free shops get thumbs-up in survey

The survey sought to find what Israelis consider to be the best and the worst aspects of the airport.

By SHELLY PAZ
duty free 88 224 (photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
duty free 88 224
(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
Fifty-five percent of Israelis hate the long security checks and lines at Ben-Gurion Airport, while more than a third love shopping at its duty free shops, according to a survey last month commissioned by the Issta travel agency and conducted by the Geocartography Surveys Institute among 500 Israelis over the age of 18. The survey sought to find what Israelis consider to be the best and the worst aspects of the airport. Thirty-seven percent of the respondents said they loved the shopping, the restaurants and the cafes; 27% said they liked the flight; 11% preferred the moment of arrival at their destination; 10% said they loved the food served on board; and 7% said landing was their favorite moment of the traveling experience. Five percent of respondents rated the cabin attendants' service as their favorite part of traveling abroad, and 5% said taking off was the best part. Fifty-five percent said they hated the long process they needed to go through before arriving at the duty-free zone; 22.3% couldn't stand the security checks; 19.6% complained about the check-in procedure; and 13% hated waiting in line for passport control. Fourteen percent cited unexpected delays as their least favorite part of flying, 14% suffered the most from crowded conditions on the planes and 11% didn't like the food served during the flights. Ten percent said turbulence during flights was the worst, and 5% hated the long distances they needed to walk inside the airport. Cramped conditions on flights were a problem mainly for older passengers, with the biggest complaint of those between the ages of 18-45 being airport security. Women are less patient, according to the survey, with 14.5% saying they hated the flight itself, an opinion held by only 8% of male passengers.