Question about Californian Airports

[suki_blue]

Can the public get access to Baggage Claim? Like, if I was picking someone up at the airport, could I meet them as they got off and go with them to get their luggage from the Spinning Conveyor Belt of Doom - guaranteed to put your back out in one swift luggage-crazed lunge?

I seem to remember my ex's dad meeting us in San Diego airport and helping me get my case but I can't quite remember. It was a long time ago and I was all "Whoa, palm trees!"

Yep, you guessed it, I'm actually managing to write and Grief Counseling is up first. Yay!

Comments

[vinniebatman.livejournal.com]

Like most airports nowadays, you can't actually meet them at the gate as it is now a "passengers only" area. There are usually waiting areas outside of the terminals, so all the passengers have to come out first. But the baggage claim is outside of the "passengers only" area, so Xander could pick up Tara and help her grab her luggage.

[suki-blue.livejournal.com]

Ah, excellent news! Just what I wanted to hear. I can work with that. Thanks so much for your help. Yay!

[lil-coyote.livejournal.com]

With all the jacked up (see jackboot!) security at airports, I'd call a travel agent and find out. Used to be you could go right up to the terminal with someone and see them off. Nowdays, they have it blocked off for anyone who doesn't have a boarding ticket from way, way, way back.

[suki-blue.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I can imagine the security is tight now. When I came over again last year, they were very thorough! vinniebatman has said that the Baggage Claim part is still accessible, even if the gate isn't, so I'll go with that. It's only for a fic so hopefully no one will mind if my facts look a little fuzzy anyway. Hee!

Thanks for your help!

[kitty-poker1.livejournal.com]

I don't think so. You have to pick up your luggage inside the airport, then take it out past Customs. There's no public access, at least at the big airports, that I remember. It was only August, hon! :p

[suki-blue.livejournal.com]

I know a lot of the security has changed, but I'm sure I remember my ex's dad helping me get my case, but then again, we changed flights so customs would have been at the previous airport before we got on the internal flight. Same with our holiday. I seem to remember at Vegas we just picked up our cases from the thingy and dragged them straight over to the hotel check-in. I don't remember going through customs the second time ~scratches head~ Damn, my abominable memory. :oD

[kitty-poker1.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Yeah, I see what you mean. Maybe because the flight to Vegas was internal and we went through the security stuff at Chicago or wherever it was we stopped on the way out?

[suki-blue.livejournal.com]

That's what I was thinking. Christ, I can't even remember where we stopped now. LOL!

See, if that is the case, I can just pretend in my head that Tara is getting off an internal flight. It's quite likely she changed.

Oh holiday! All the memories just came flooding back!!!! ~happy sigh~

[kmousie.livejournal.com]

Sounds like others have ot it covered, but I'll add that if you want specific details about travel requirements, you can go to the Transportation Security Administration's website, here: http://www.tsa.dhs.gov/

The TSA's website is mostly for travelers themselves and not for people meeting them. But, as others have said, the traveler would have to be met at baggage claim. That's true for all US airports, not just the CA ones. Not sure about non-US airports, but that's not relevant to your inquiry anyhow. ♥

[suki-blue.livejournal.com]

Oh thank you so much!! That looks like a really handy site to bookmark.

I think I'm definitely going to go with meeting just outside Baggage claim and be a little bit deliberately fuzzy about the details. After all, I'm sure in Btvs S7, the gang go to meet Willow at the gate and this is set S6, and it's only reallt really Baggage Claim that I'm worried about.

~huggles~

[kmousie.livejournal.com]

Sounds good to me. Happy to help with details wherever I can...you know where to find me! :-)

Depends on the airport

[jinxeffect.livejournal.com]

I know for a fact that the public has access to the baggage claim at Sacramento International as we picked up my sister from her business trip recently and my husband helped her get her luggage off the conveyor =). You are still barred from meeting anyone at the gates like usual.

lol Sac Intl is a 'budget flyer' destination (Fares tend to be a wee bit less exlensive to fly in/out of here) and people often take AmTrak trains to San Francisco and other destinations south from here.

It's actually a nice trip, get off the plane, shuttle to downtown to the train, ride the train down to San Francisco (Or farther South), stop and have a terrific seafood dinner, complete trip. It's much less stress than driving I've found and generally just more pleasant to relax and talk then have to worry about driving. lol deliver me to my door and I'm happy lol.

Some airports have baggage claim areas that are passed the security perimeters they've extended so in some place the public can't go there. It might also depend on the 'security state' of the airport at the time as well. If they're on high alert they get much more anal about things and out come the annoying temporary barriers and they try to pen people in like livestock. Sad that the state of the world dictates things like this sigh. I remember watching with my Mom at the window as my Dad's planes took off. My sons just love planes and would be happy as larks to see one taking off from that viewpoint but it is so sad that my children will never see that.
Such a small thing but so it goes with the world we're living in.

[kitsune-okashi.livejournal.com]

You can't meet them at the terminal/gateway, but you can meet them at the baggage claim at some airports. Most speciffically San Jose International, Oakland International, and San Francisco International.

This is probably irrelevant, but at some airports, the area for the drive-by passanger pick-up is a no stopping zone and they will ticket you. So the driver can't even get out of the car to help get bags into the car.(Thought that might be helpful, or not).