Originally Posted by
DangerMouse
Can the greeter not ask an airline employee regarding arrival information?
The gate arrival information will not be helpful for the greeter either as one cannot bypass security to meet the passenger at the gate.
Most likely you can't find an airline employee at an international terminal.
Gate arrival is the only good piece of info. Foreign airlines will record their 800 numbers once a day or so, but the landed plane could be stuck for 30 minutes waiting for a gate, or in UA/NW's case, arriving too early (favorable winds) for inspection hall work hours. Once you know the gate arrival time, a greeter can judge whether he wants to walk around the whole big hall to look for the passenger or wait at the exit for the passenger to emerge.