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This California Airport Will Allow Non-travelers to Meet Loved Ones at the Gate

Soumis
 
An airport in California is stepping back in time to an era when family and loved ones were allowed to meet travelers at the gate. The Ontario International Airport, which sits about 40 miles east of Los Angeles, will introduce a new program that allows non-travelers to secure an online visitor pass and access the post-security side of the terminal, according to the airport. These non-travelers will then be able to either greet loved ones at the gate or hang out with them before they depart. The… (www.yahoo.com) Plus d'info...

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bidrec
Richard Haas 18
I used to print out a gate pass for those dropping off unaccompanied minors. Once the minor is unaccompanied he or she must be accompanied by airline personnel on the jetway until handed over to the flight attendant. Having the parent there would free up gate personnel.
Rosomak
Rosomak 3
I do this all the time. As the parent I’m instructed to stay at the gate until the plane is airborne. Has no impact on the gate agent

coinflyer
coinflyer 13
And of course post-security concourse shop sales and revenues will increase!
btweston
btweston 1
Why? Who buys crap in the airport while they’re leaving? This isn’t a layover.
AWAAlum
AWAAlum 3
I do, I do.
AlanGlover
Alan Glover 1
Many do if you go by merchants willing to pay the high rental fees at the airport. A captive audience will and does pay for the convenience of not having to shop before arriving to travel.

I prepare meals and gifts ahead of time and buy nothing at the airport but apparently human nature prevails for a large enough percentage of the time to make the effort by retailers to set up there worthwhile.
hangar14
Rick D 22
What if they are not family and only liked ones?
AWAAlum
AWAAlum 1
Time will tell, but the article states "family and loved ones" ... "non-travelers".
ravenshammer
ravenshammer 17
They next need to get rid of TSA and allow actual security to take over.
rlowney
rlowney 16
Face it screening post-9/11 is a nightmare and a joke most of the time anyway. There has been very little improvement and we are still required to take our shoes off!! It's about time the TSA was overhauled using more effective measures using measures and strategies that have been tried and used in airports say in Israel. It would be nice to try and return to some kind of civility when flying again. It used to be fun.
Lneward
Lance Neward 2
If you want "fun", go to Disneyland. Oh, wait, there are lines at Disneyland, too, and you pay a lot to stand in them while you consume exquisitely expensive libations and comestibles. (Too expensive to call them mere drinks and food.) When I go to an airport, it's generally because I want to go someplace. Air travel is now a useful, sometimes limited, commodity, sometimes even fun, but let's not confuse the two.
mutrock
Mark Kortum 16
Forget the security issue for a second. This might work at small uncrowded airports, but at a hub, like Charlotte or O'Hare where the gates are already shoulder-to-shoulder standing room only and throngs of people surge through the concourses, this would not be physically possible, and not to mention the impact on security lines. These airports were not adequately built for the number of passengers who use them, let alone their visitors too.
AWAAlum
AWAAlum 7
Worked before.
AlanGlover
Alan Glover 1
Volume, dude, volume.
AlanBDahl
Alan Dahl 4
SeaTac airport has had this sort of system in place since 2018 but only issues 100 passes per day which won't cause any additional congestion. Higher numbers would be possible if you limited the number of visitor passes per flight.
Propwash122
Peter Fuller 2
Hubs like Charlotte and Chicago O’Hare handle lots of transit passengers making connections. Very few if any of them would be visited in the gate areas by their friends and loved ones who happen to live near the hub airport.
watkinssusan
even with the security measures that have been in place for years now,gate passes were/are given to parents or or relatives meeting an unaccompnaied minor,some special groups with balloons and welcome home signs for military personnel,or persons needing assistance who do not want the skycaps or electric cart..i am old enough to remember when security was just hand wanding, and then hand wanding and metal detectors,and on and on as time has gone by..
AWAAlum
AWAAlum 1
I and a few close family gathered at Sky Harbor when my son returned from Iraq. We were not allowed out to the gate. Huge disappointment.
wx1996
wx1996 15
All about the airport making money. Getting more people to the overpriced eateries and bars. I am sure the airport gets a percentage of sales.
btweston
btweston 6
The airport gets rent.
EMK69
EMK69 4
Love it
LeanderWilliams
What would really be cool is the people that love to do planespotting have a designated place ON THE AIRPORT to be able to do planespotting up close. Most current spotter have to be off the airport and have telephoto lenses to film or do livestreaming. I have seen several instances of mechanical issues with planes taking off/landing but being off the airport spotters had a significant delay while trying to notify the airport.
sgbelverta
sharon bias 4
I can see if for greeting special needs passengers. Anyone who boards the plane early has some sort of special need. Otherwise, it's just adds more bodies in the gate area.
MikeMohle
Mike Mohle 6
Agreed, for kids or someone needing assistance, of course -- but one can do that now....

The problem at most airports is there is already not enough seating at gate areas, and long lines at eateries that are actually open (excuse is no workers), so this will make those situations worse. And, it is not really needed for 95%+ of cases. BAD IDEA!
owengrzanich
Owen Grzanich 4
I think it is kind of cool honestly. But it would make screening lines longer...
conradp99
conradp99 2
TSA at O'Hare for 5 years. Well, every 'extra' body through screening does add a bit of work...but if you REALLY want to help, put 'smoking lounges' on the airside (as in Europe) so those addicts don't cycle through screening multiple times during 2-4-6 hour layovers/delays. Also set a limit (2? 4?) on guests; I've seen entourages of 8 or more (!) show up at my podium to see Granny off. One other possible issue- as guests don't expect to fly I think they'll be carrying many more knives/guns/sprays etc than the actual PAX do...and that's already bad.

[This comment was deleted.]

AlanGlover
Alan Glover 2
Yeah, will only work at small airports that are not too busy.
goffcapital
Steve Harrison 4
Have not found TSA to be very affective. Proper vetting of those entering our country and securing our borders would be much more affective
AlanGlover
Alan Glover 1
Effective and I'm not sure having people who enter should be the ones securing the border. It seems like that's what's going on at present. ;)
arunamarathe048
Aruna Marathe 2
Not a good idea. It will allow for congestion at the gate.
AlanBDahl
Alan Dahl 1
SeaTac airport has had this sort of system in place since 2018 but only issues 100 passes per day which won't cause any additional congestion.
pilot62
Scott Campbell 1
Geez I wont even accept work if SeaTac is part of the deal, 15 minute wait for the rental car bus, which drops you off at the farthest stop from precheck??Have had to take Lyft over ten times to get a car because its so poorly managed- BUSES waiting for people folks not hundreds waiting for a bus.
Seatac MANAGEMENT ? no such thing
AWAAlum
AWAAlum 1
Seems like people grab any ole' excuse not to work these days.
darjr26
darjr26 2
Most airports I have been traveling through are already crowded, have long lines for food and drinks and don’t have enough seats in their gate areas. Maybe Ontario has room for this, but most airports don’t.
wendywenger
wendy wenger 2
awesome. the anticipation of seeing your loved ones was always fun.
satfromak
satfromak 1
YEEAAA!
carste10
carste10 1
San Jose Intnl does this if you have a Real ID type DL.
pilot62
Scott Campbell 1
Were not worried about an impact to the gate with a UM, what were worried about are knuckle heads and people who don't need to be there, impacting the safety. Un- Accompanied Minors and people / kids with special needs. People screaming at the gate on arrivals NO !! they can wait downstairs ..
I fly ONT monthly and there is NOT room or enough services as it is. Terminal 2 or 4 which is swamped another reason for SNA (I live 20 minutes from ONT) 30 form SNA
AWAAlum
AWAAlum 1
Who or what are these "were" you seem to be speaking for?
AlanGlover
Alan Glover 1
MichaelDealey
Michael Dealey 1
I knew this would be Ontario before I even opened the article.
AWAAlum
AWAAlum 2
Are you really Carnac the Magnificent?
AlanGlover
Alan Glover 1
Dating ourselves, no?

No one under 40 (60?) has a clue who that is.

Heeeerrrrreeessss Johnny!
gtpalmer
Gary Palmer 1
I think this a great option. I hope other airports find a similar way to allow it. I know it is not a 100% solution, nothing ever is; but this is a good step in a direction that benefits travelers.
gregmermel
Greg Mermel 1
A friend of mine used to regularly have 3-4 hour layovers at MDW en route from the west coast to her elderly father on the east coast.

I would buy a fully-refundable WN ticket for a flight leaving that day, but many hours later. I'd get my pre-check, go through security, and meet her for a drink or two. Once her flight left, I'd use the app to cancel my flight and request a refund, and go home.

Only time I've never cared about boarding positions in the back of the C group.
adainv
adainv 1
Not a good idea! They disrupt deplaning passengers. They wait right at the gate to greet their family or friends and block passage of everyone else while they hug and kiss. they are too ignorant to get off to the side, but of course, with them everything is about me!
AWAAlum
AWAAlum 1
I don't imagine it would be a big deal to just condone off an area, out of the way.
conradp99
conradp99 1
Except I expect folks would 'respect' that JUST as much as they do the gate announcements to 'stay seated until your group is called up' or the plane announcements to 'not clog the aisle until we're at the gate' and 'Please allow the folks seated ahead of your row to exit first'. Right?
jkeifer3
Joe Keifer -3
This can have nothing but bad consequences.

[This comment has been downvoted. Show anyway.]

stardog01
stardog01 13
patrick baker,
On your first point, can you explain why you feel that this will cause a security concern? Screening at security would be the same whether the person is a passenger or a visitor.

And I'm not going to comment on your second point.
punkrawk78
Silent Bob 25
I dunno, lots of people like to take loved ones to and from the gate. Used to do it all the time as a kid especially as one who liked airplanes.

And I fail to see how this is any kind of "security risk". You have to apply in advance, which I would have to assume means you will be run against the watch list(s). And you're subject to the same screening as pax including restrictions on liquids. It was never really necessary to take this away after 9/11, but as with all things gov they overreacted and almost no politicians are ever willing to push back when it comes to "security".
Bayouflier
Bayouflier 8
I don't think it's a security issue, but it will make the TSA experience last longer.
punkrawk78
Silent Bob 6
I dunno, lots of people like to take loved ones to and from the gate. Used to do it all the time as a kid especially as one who liked airplanes.

And I fail to see how this is any kind of "security risk". You have to apply in advance, which I would have to assume means you will be run against the watch list(s). And you're subject to the same screening as pax including restrictions on liquids. It was never really necessary to take this away after 9/11, but as with all things gov they overreacted and almost no politicians are ever willing to push back when it comes to "security".
punkrawk78
Silent Bob 1
I dunno, lots of people like to take loved ones to and from the gate. Used to do it all the time as a kid especially as one who liked airplanes.

And I fail to see how this is any kind of "security risk". You have to apply in advance, which I would have to assume means you will be run against the watch list(s). And you're subject to the same screening as pax including restrictions on liquids. It was never really necessary to take this away after 9/11, but as with all things gov they overreacted and no politician is ever willing to push back when it comes to "security".
AlanBDahl
Alan Dahl 0
SeaTac airport in Seattle has been doing that since 2018: https://www.portseattle.org/page/sea-visitor-pass-program. Access is limited to 100 people per day however so it's not a large program.
jkeifer3
Joe Keifer -5
This can have nothing but bad consequences. I remember the days when planes with less then, what was it, thirty (30) passengers did not need screening whatsoever.

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