Ticketed only at EWR, at least for the UA gates in Terminal A.

Well at least the 'official' policy at VPS is you need a ticket to get past security. Though I can't say that I've ever seen anyone check for the tickets.

To only allow ticketed passengers past security at US airports would only cause more problems. Most airline lounges are located within the Security zones. Passengers would face huge crowds exiting the security areas. If you face long lines going through security, complain to the airline. If you checked in with less than one hour before scheduled departure then you only have yourself to blame.

The European system is different than that in the US domestic one. Here are the reasons as I see them:

(1) Domestic US - no customs or INS. Europe, more flights tend to be international in nature thus requiring INS and customs.

(2) In Europe everyonegoes to a common check-in area to recieve a boarding pass before security. In the US you can check in right at the gate.

(3) In Europe, you typically go to a departure lounge (after check-in) before being assigned a gate. In the US, you can go directly to a gate.

I like the US system better. It is annoying to have to check-in before passing security. If the lines are long, I can bypass the ticket counters and then check-in at several other places ... lounge, my gate, other gate, customer service desk, etc...

Well if Canada and Brazil are doing it, then we in the USA better all start doing it, right?

I think one of the reasons it is allowed in the US is because the US is one of the few countries where a very high percentage of flights are intra-country and not international, which requires more security. Plus land space is usually more available in the US.

At some airports like LHR for instance, the lack of space and the high # of international flights would make non-passengers going through security checkpoints less desireable.


Mac

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Via con Dios!

I disagree with the argument that it would make crowding worse.

In Calgary there are 6 million pax going thru each year and I have never found it an inconvenience like what is regularly described in current US airports. Then again we also don't have your traffic levels either.

Maybe the layout of our airport (YYC) is more suitable to the human flow because of the recognition of this long standing security rule during the design process.

At Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Jakarta, Indonesia (CGK) you have to have a ticket or be white -unfortunately to even get in the front door.

(I say that with a sad face because I am white, and while I lived in Jakarta, many people extended far too much courtesy to me, simply because I am white. Racial inequality sucks.)

In Boston, it's ticketed-passengers-only at B, D, and E but anything goes at C. At A, I forget. There's no correlation that I can detect between policy and line length. Regarding having to check in before passing security, one tends these days just to have to show a ticket OR bp OR e-ticket receipt to get by. Funny thing is that back in the early days of e-ticketing, C was ticketed-passengers-only as well, and security was reluctant to pass passengers with e-receipts: I think it's this that led to the current laxity there.

I am willing to sacrifice a couple of minutes in order to meet and be met at the gate.

How about those of use who enjoy plane-watching (or people-watching) and who go to the airport for fun? Believe it or not, some of us actually go to the airport to watch or to photograph an international arrival or departure push, or to marvel at the operations of a large hub airline, or to meet a friend for lunch in a unique and exciting place. I can't count how many times I've gone several hours early to pick up a friend or family member. Believe it or not, not all of us view the airports as a hassle or a traumatic experience. Some of us find it exhilerating and fun!