OP - I'd have to agree with Fastair. I have watched people at the check-in counter try to get a gate pass to take a wife/husband to the gate and they've always been denied. The agent asks if the passenger needs assistance, and when the answer is "no", they won't issue a pass. I talked to the agent about this, and she stated it was policy not to issue these passes.

I've never had a problem getting one for a minor, but that's a different scenerio.