"Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport began offering visitor passes this week for guests who don't have a flight out but want to say hello or goodbye to a traveler at a gate. How it works: Apply online up to seven days in advance of your loved one's flight, and if you're approved, show your visitor pass to a TSA agent when you go through security. You can apply the same day as a flight, too."
"Airports decide on an individual basis whether to offer these visitor passes, and Oakland announced it would do so on Monday, as travelers started preparing to flock to Bay Area airports for the holidays. If you've got loved ones coming in or flying out, it gives you just a bit more time to spend with those individuals, said Craig Simon, the airport's director of aviation."
"Nationally, visitor passes are available at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Detroit Metro Airport, Orlando International Airport and others. Pittsburgh International Airport piloted the program in 2017. It hearkens back to the simpler era of air travel before the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, when airport security was looser. Then, no one needed to apply for approval to go through security."
Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport now issues visitor passes so non-traveling guests can go through security and visit gates to say hello or goodbye. Applicants can apply online up to seven days in advance or on the same day; approved visitors present the pass to a TSA agent to enter. Each airport independently decides whether to offer visitor passes; Oakland is the first in the Bay Area and among the earliest in California. Several other U.S. airports already offer similar programs. The program evokes pre-9/11 access and coincides with a busy holiday travel season, prompting arrival-time advice.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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