PHL - Going into the "wrong" terminal
 

From a summer 2011 experience changing flights at PHL, I know that, once airside, you can get to any other gate at PHL without having to re-clear "security".

The last time I flew into or out of PHL was summer 2010. There were no NoS in operation at the time, so I went to the terminal checkpoint corresponding to my departing gate.

Here's my question:

The NoS sticky and tsastatus.net tells me that terminals B, D, and E are safe, but C is not. If my flight departing PHL is from a C gate and I approach terminal B or D with my BP and ID, will the TSO deny me access because it's the "wrong" terminal?

Thanks!

Possibly. (It's the TSA...what other possible answer is there?!)

You could always buy a refundable ticket on Southwest & enter using boarding pass, then cancel the ticket.

While I have no experience at PHL, I frequently use the "wrong" checkpoint at other airside-connected airports, and have never been turned away. If ever questioned, I'll just say that I prefer the restaurants near the checkpoint I'm using.

I fly out of IAH once or twice a week.

I won't enter 'E' Terminal. The screeners are a bunch........well, lets just say they're not the sharpest tools in the shed.

I enter 'C' Terminal. when the screener tells me I'm entering the worng terminal, I simply reply that they are connected, and it's a short walk.

No problems.

From my experience at PHL, you won't have a problem. For example, for awhile, I was flying out on WN but coming back on US. So I would park at the C garage and go through C security even though WN flies out of E. Never a problem.

Or you can say that the line at your airline's terminal was huge, this terminal's line was much shorter and you didn't want to miss your flight on account of the very long line.

The sad thing about this entire thread is the amount of effort being put into creating plausible excuses to offer to TSA in order to avoid stating the "real" reason one might choose one checkpoint over another.

When passengers have to find ways to lie to TSA in order to transition a checkpoint, something has gone dreadfully wrong.

TSA expressly changed its policy on this. So long as you have a BP which gets you through any checkpoint at a given station, you may enter all checkpoints. That is true whether the sterile areas are connected as at PHL or when they are not as at DCA.

You may find that a TSO flags this for you, but that is because the most likely reason that pax are entering a checkpoint other than the closest one to their gate is that the pax has made a mistake.

You don't need to make up a story, buy a refundable ticket on another carrier or engage in other silly tactics. You just thank the TSO and tell him/her that you do intend to use the checkpoint.

No no no...you never, ever mention to a TSO that you "don't want to miss your flight"...isn't that the ticket to wind up in handcuffs while the TSOs and police detain you for having Arabic flash cards or checks written to yourself, which they assume you're using to empty the bank account ahead of your surprise divorce, so they call your spouse to rat you out? (Note: both of these happened at PHL).

Hopefully, I won't even need to give an answer. If asked, I'll simply say I have a favorite restaurant in that terminal, and it was just more convenient to use it.

Actually, people who treat fellow humans as beneath contempt tend to receive reciprocal treatment.

What do you think the TSO reaction would be if told the bald-faced truth: I don't want to use the other checkpoint because I don't think the government has the right to peer beneath my clothes, or search my crotch as a condition of air travel? :confused:

It happens all the time at PHL, the only comment I have ever been given was actually extremely helpful by TSA standards "sir, you know you have to walk to another terminal once through, right?" or the obvious "long line at B again, eh?"

The only one that's actually still safe is D. After not being able to SDOO the last several flights out of B/C I started always using D and walking back over. I've never heard a single comment about it.

This is correct. Both B and C now have the body scanners. I've been using the terminal D checkpoint exclusively since they installed them, and I've never had a problem. In fact, the signage next to the D checkpoint specifically says that it's a checkpoint with access to all gates.

As a side note, the last time I flew out of PHL, my flight was actually out of terminal A, and giving the checkpoints some cursory glances as I walked by, I didn't see any body scanners, but I haven't been through any of the terminal A checkpoints in a long, long time, so I can't say with 100% confidence. Stick with terminal D; it's clear as of a couple of weekends ago (and the line moves pretty quickly, too!). Just give yourself some time to walk wherever; it took me a good 20 minutes+ to make it to the far side of the A terminal.

Ottermatic

TMI - Too much information. Since the new policy was implemented, I've never been told I can't use a more distant or disconnected checkpoint. I've simply been reminded that the checkpoint I am using is either further away from my departure gate than another or that the checkpoint doesn't lead to my gate. All I've ever done is said, "thanks, I know" and I'm on my way.

TSA could stop reminding people, but there would be cries of outrage from people who say that their grandmother wouldn't have missed her flight if someone had just mentioned to her that she was at the wrong place.