posted 22 years ago
I think it's the same in the US now, but in the UK nobody without a boarding pass (i.e. they had a ticket and checked in) is allowed "airside". That means just about anybody can roam the check-in area of the airports.
I actually work in a building just on the Perimeter of Heathrow Airport in London, it's not unknown for me to go to one of the bars/cafes in the check-in or arrivals area of one of the terminals just for lunch or something.
If we applied the rule "NOBODY WITHOUT TICKET MAY EVEN ENTER THE TERMINAL BUILDING". Then what about people who intend to buy their ticket at the airport, the sad loiterers like me who just like to watch the planes, what about people who are meeting people who are arriving?
One thing i would like to see more of (I think they had it at JFK when I visited there), is metal detectors at the entrance to the building. We don't have that here, I think they do in Ireland and some other countries.
Pounding at a thick stone wall won't move it, sometimes, you need to step back to see the way around.