I'm sorry to see that you go through so much trouble to travel. I've done this, and will do it again: buy a $50-100 Southwest refundable ticket online (30-60 seconds), print the receipt (5-10 seconds), go to airport, meet friend/family at the gate, go home. Call up at a later time/date and request the refund (30-60 seconds).

This definitely beats sitting outside in your car being harrassed by the airport cops or standing in the concourse (where, bizarrely, they never have any seats). You can relax, get some coffee and a paper, and wait for the plane (just like the old days). And, it really is a nice surprise if they don't expect it. Good for you, BooBooKitty.

Besides not being harrassed by the airport cops, people who do this are helping out those businesses at the airport who relied on business of traveling passengers and their guests who would wait with them at the gate or meet them when they came in.

I know a cup of coffee might seem small, but it adds up.

Seats have a nasty habit of taking up space and collecting people that don't move on or around much! Especially when there is a crowd. Then other people, that are standing complain, there are NOT enough seats! People who have to stand will move on and NOT hog the seats. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

So the new federal compromise bill will charge passengers $2.50 per segment up to $5.00 one way.

Maybe you guys could lobby the government to set up self service gate pass kiosks that, for $2.50, will give you a pass to get through security.

I don't have a problem with non-travelers going through security, just as long as I don't have to pay for it.

d

The average cost may be $2.50, but the marginal cost is much less than that (similar to air travel, with fixed costs). Someone going through security who is not going to board a plane should not have to pay more than the marginal cost of the screening, as that person does not benefit from the (supposedly) increased security for air travelers.

I figure the marginal cost is around 25 cents. 50 cents tops. The administrative cost of collecting 50 cents outweighs the benefit of the collecting the 50 cents to begin with. In fact, if they simply didn't check boarding passes and ID's, it would save time and money for everyone. Showing ID three times for one flight does not improve security.

Non-travelers going through security are getting the same benefits as travelers going through security.

Weapons and bombs airside can be dangerous to people in the terminal, as well as in the air.

Airplanes being hijacked and crashed into the ground or buildings is just as dangerous for the people on the plane as it is for the people who are getting crashed into. Besides the economic costs of having property destroyed, emergency services, investigations, etc.. Everyone has a stake in air travel security, not just the people on the plane.

I could also argue that non-travelers' names should be run through the FBI database that everyone else's names are run through, in the interest of security. That would cost money too.

Additionally, non-travelers are taking up security time, delaying the people behind them who may have a plane to catch in a hurry.

And finally, to set up and maintain kiosks there would definitely be a cost.

I'd say charging everyone an equal amount, $2.50, would make plenty of sense. Travelers are already getting penalized because they have to pay $5.00 on a two segment one-way trip, even though they're only going through security once.


Also:
Showing ID three times does improve security:

(1) Picking up your ticket at ticketing. If one doesn't have to show his ID when picking up a ticket, anyone could walk up and get your boarding pass issued for a flight. You wouldn't be so happy if that happened.

(2) Showing ID with your boarding pass at the security line ensures that only ticketed passengers get through security. If one doesn't have to show his ID and boarding pass, then anyone could get through security with anyone else's boarding pass. That would defeat the purpose of only allowing ticketed passengers through security.

(3) Showing ID with your boarding pass to get on the plane is the only way to ensure that the wrong person doesn't get on a flight. If you don't have to show ID to get on a plane, a hijacker on the FBI no-fly list could just have his friend who's not on the list buy a ticket for a flight, check in and get a boarding pass issued. The hijacker could pass through security by buying a ticket for another flight, or forging an e-ticket receipt. Then, he could take his friend's boarding pass and walk onto the flight he planned on hijacking with no problems.

d

Doppy,

a few problems, which can turn this into another long-winded security argument.

1. you are assuming that the potential hijacker is on a "list" already.

2. you are assuming that the potential hijacker is not smart enough to obtain a fake ID (available to most 19-year olds).

3. you are assuming that a potential hijacker isn't smart enough to buy a $30 ticket to gain access to the terminal.

I recently had to show my ID 3 times at Midway even BEFORE I got to the metal detector, then twice more at the gate. Why?

Well, over one week later and I'd like to know what happened to BooBooKitty's mother.

Did she arrive safely? Was BooBoo at the gate?

Again, has anyone actually spoken with a carrier or an airport to find out how to meet someone at a gate if you don't have a ticket?

Just wondering.

[This message has been edited by blairvanhorn (edited 11-16-2001).]

Tino -

You're right, we should definitely have more secure IDs in general. It's way to easy to get fake IDs or perpetrate identity theft.

Anyway, (assuming IDs are relatively secure) you should at least have to show your ID at ticketing and to get on the plane. At ticketing you don't want someone else to pick up your tickets. At the gate if you don't the ID of people boarding you might as well not bother putting names on tickets. If you don't need to show ID then anyone can get on with anyone's boarding pass.

d

I don't think you can meet anyone at the gate since it requires getting past security. To get past security you need to have a ticket (boarding pass/e-ticket receipt).

I like the idea of paying for gate access.
I think the fee should be at least $5 if not more. The fee should be designed to compensate for the cost of security and also discourage people who do not have a genuine need to get to the gate. This will ensure that the entire family is not at the gate to greet grandma but people who need to be there can get there.

Another issue are lounges outside the secure area. Currently most US airports do not have any decent restaurant/lounge outside the secure area, except perhaps some international terminals. This means that you do not have a place to hang around when you are planning to meet someone at an airport (say during a layover) or if you reached the airport a couple of hours before the flight time. It should help the airport revenue situation too.

Yea - I bet the restaurants and lounges and shops are really suffering w/ the new rules of only ticketed folks pass security checkpoints.. layout doesn't really accomodate setting up elsewhere in most airports... wonder what they'll do? I'm certain it will somehow impact our travel experience negatively http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

So a potential hijacker won't hijack because he can't cough up $5?

Based on experience last week Wigstheone is right: they are much much tougher on people with one-way tickets. Another joke: billionaire hijackers can't figure that out either?

Can't the airlines be trusted to get little old ladies out to the passenger pickup area? This is disappointing.

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"WhiteBird must fly, or she will die"