Originally Posted by
GUWonder
The above strikes me as reading like work of fiction. There is no "no-man's land in the gate/lounge area"; and the post-"exit" passport control "sterile departures area" can be left in almost all countries in Europe and Asia without boarding the international flight.
In every single EU Schengen country, it's well possible to leave the "sterile departures area" by means other than boarding the international flight -- I do it a few times a month on a US passport, and I'm including even those former-Communist countries that are now EU Schengen countries.
But if you wanted to leave, wouldn't you have to go
back through passport control and legally re-enter the country? My point is that once you're stamped out, you can't just walk back in. You would have to be cleared back through entry immigration all over again if you wanted to go out landside. Right?
I'm thinking not only of Europe, but also South America, places like EZE, SCL, CCS. Once you pass through exit immigration, there's "no turning back." I suppose you could go back landside if you wish, but it would be a huge hassle to get an airline agent to escort you, etc.
It's not like in the States, where you can go in and out of the secure area as much as you want as long as you're holding your valid boarding pass and ID, even if you're departing internationally. No passport check or stamping out (for most travelers).