SALT LAKE CITY — The Salt Lake City International Airport is known for a few things, like its beautiful architecture and the huge joyous reunions just outside TSA doors.
But what if you could greet your loved ones right at the gate? The airport is considering returning to a policy that will allow something that hasn’t been seen in about a quarter of a century.
Gracie Robinson was on pins and needles Wednesday as she waited for her best friend to get back from her mission trip to Chile. Robinson had seen her friend, Hannah, in over two years.
For now, Robinson waited inside the airport's greeting room for her friend, but what if Gracie could greet Hannah right at the gate? It's an idea airport officials are looking into.
Several airports in the U.S. have already adopted non-passenger gate access programs, which hadn’t happened since before 9/11. Security enhancements since then have prohibited non-travelers from going through security, with some exceptions.
"We have been working with other airports who already have programs in place to see if it's a model we can follow or how we can adapt," said airport spokesperson Nancy Volmer.
Volmer said it's way too early to determine if non-passengers at some point will be allowed at the actual gates, but the airport is gearing up to offer more open houses where the public can get through security to enjoy the airport’s amenities.
"We're looking at doing [open houses] on a quarterly basis now," Volmer added. "So, we're looking at something coming this summer as well as in the fall."
