When will we be able to send ppl off at the gate?
 

I have not seen too many posts on this subject, but I really wish we could spend more time with family and friends at the gate when we are sending off visitors...

I would expect the answer to be "never." Although a lot of the post-9/11 security measures are over the top, this one brings us in line with what's standard practice in most other countries, so I wouldn't expect it to go away (not that I agree with it).

I recommend private jets. No security 99% of the time, and you can bring your family with you right to the plane.

Sadly, allowing non-travlers to the gates to see people off would make the lines for security even longer than they are now!

Here's something I've been wondering though. They allow you to go through the security with a printout of your itinerary (at most airports, anyway). So, can't your loved one just print a "fake" itinerary and go through security? I realize this isn't ethical, and against the rules. I would never do it, but thought that if someone really want to see a loved one off, it wouldn't be that hard to do.

Thoughts?

My answer to this is "never again, I hope." I don't think the airport should be a social gathering place. It just creates unnecessary inconveniences for other pax--longer security lines, more folks crowding the gate area, slow-moving groups clogging the walkways. I can't tell you how thrilled I was to finally be rid of the family reunion scenes in SLC when the Mormon missionaries were departing/arriving. I'm also relieved that I no longer have to stand behind a couple saying their intimate goodbyes while I'm trying to board. I realize not everyone makes such a spectacle of themselves, but overall I think limiting the number of people in an already busy & overcrowded space is good practice.

Seriously, I have done this before. My travel agent sends me eticket itineraries by email, so it was not difficult to save on and modify it later for my families to use.

HOWEVER, now that they are requiring boarding passes, it is a little more difficult. What I have had to do is use the online-checking to print out a boarding pass to Adobe Acrobat, save it as a PDF, then delete name, date, and city-specific info and replace with blank fields for me to fill in with the correct formatting. Since the TSA does not scan the boarding pass, but rather check to make sure the city and date is right (and some places match the name to the photo ID) getting past security wouldn't seem that difficult. NOTE: I have not yet tried the latter method yet, but I don't see why it wouldn't work.

Just make sure that the boarding pass that you've PDF'd is for an airline that specific airport serves...

I have received a gate pass from UA to accompany my young sister to the gate when she was flying alone JFK-SFO-SYD-MEL.

goodo

LITTLE KNOWN FACT: the ticket counter agents can issue security passes to non travellers. I found this out with my 13 year old nephew. They offered, I declined.

Apparently these passes can be given out to anyone who has a good reason. Minor travelling alone was a good reason. Maybe disability would be a good reason?

Get creative, and post your experience here.

I would seriously advocate never forging a web check in/boarding pass. If the TSA caught you doing this I'm sure you would be immediately under suspicion as a terrorist, and they would probably have every reason to make your life very uncomfortable both then and in the future.

There's another, longer-term, problem with this, too. If forgeries of web check-in boarding passes turned up regularly because people were abusing the facility to get through security when not entitled to, it wouldn't be long before airlines were made to withdraw this facility. The selfish few would yet again have ruined a good thing for the larger majority.

You CANNOT be serious! In this day and age, I would have thought, at the very least, you run the risk of being treated as a suspected terrorist if caught in possession of forged documents at an airport. Just imagine all those hours in an isolation cell (on Cuba?) while they ransack your home and check out your computer...

oops. double post.

[This message has been edited by Dr. Zhivago (edited 01-21-2003).]

You may note have seen the last sentence of my post, where I said I haven't tried whether this works or not. But by just requiring a boarding pass of any sort, without checking its validity, they're opening the system up to forgery!

I'm not a terrorist.... just exposing a hole in their security facade anyway.

Do like I do: Buy a refundable ticket, check in, and then change your mind (as in don't take the trip). Refund ticket - and everyone is happy.

How late can you refund a ticket? Is it still possible after getting boarding pass? I guess while you're at it, you could buy a full-fare first class ticket and use the applicable lounge while you wait with your friend. http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...orum/smile.gif

Also, can't you just use a lounge membership card to get through security? I don't have any memberships, but I've heard that you can ust flash your Red Carpet card since you might be going there for a meeting.

cnk

Oh, I saw it. Perhaps I was confused by this:

Still, kudos to you for exposing a potential security flaw:



[This message has been edited by Dr. Zhivago (edited 01-21-2003).]

http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...m/thumbsup.gif

Has worked just fine for me too.



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"Give me Liberty or give me Death." - Patrick Henry

It's NOT a hole in their security facade, if you know the real reason for this requirement. Of course they know that e-mail confirmations are easy to forge, and that boarding passes are only a little harder.

But how many people are going to go through the trouble of making them? Not many.

So the number of people who need to go through security is STILL massively decreased from the time when anybody could go through.

And THAT'S the point of this requirement. To lessen the number of people who go through security, so that there's time to check more thoroughly those that DO go through.

Ed

I hope that we NEVER are allowed to go back to the old system where throngs of not travelling people waited at gates taking up seats, crowding the jetway and otherwise taking up space making a stressfull experience that much more stressful.

I agree with the poster about the mormon missionaries returning to many different friends and family members with balloons, signs and cameras crowding the jetway while trying to get off the plane.

Its already crowded enough at the jetway when trying to board with F class or elite members as those who are not boarding at that time still stand in the jet way. Imagine how bad it will be if family and friends can crowd the jetway as well. It can only make the security lines longer as well. I just do not see any benefit other than someone spending another hour or so with their friend or family.

If there is a real need to go to the gate with someone (child, elderly etc) a pass can be issued.

Some people state that its nice to spend time with friends or family at the gate but that should not over ride other factors. I would not support allowing anyone but ticketed pax into the past security.

Just my 2 cents worth