Originally Posted by Spiff
Since the discussion is continuing here...
There is absolutely no safety added by checking IDs or prohibiting non-traveling passengers in the gate area. If a terrorist on a watch list wants to enter the gate area but not take a flight, he 1)borrows/steals/assumes/creates the ID of someone with similar features and 2)buys a refundable ticket. There you go, all those billions of dollars wasted, plundered and squandered on this ID checking farce by someone with a credit limit no bigger than those given to college students/pets/other first time credit card applicants.
You miss the point of why non-travellers have been excluded. Of course a terrorist could get through by the means you suggest.
The point was to block the INNOCENT non-travellers from clogging up the security area, thus allowing security staff more time to inspect those who do pass through.
Whether it has had that effect is another issue.
Ed