HB 2151: Visitor Pass at the Airport

Photo byTaiki IshikawaonUnsplash

Before September 11, 2001, family members used to be able to go to the boarding gates at the airport to see their loved ones board the plane. All of that changed when terrorists attacked the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001.

The Transportation Security Administration increased their security and allowed only ticketed passengers to enter the waiting area before they boarded the plane.

A Hawaii lawmaker introduced a bill, House Bill 2151, to allow visitors to enter the passenger seating area of the airport. If the Hawaii Legislature passes the bill and it becomes law, there would probably have to be approval from the federal level to make this bill happen. Here is the section 1 of the bill.

House Bill 2151:

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that many individuals without airline boarding passes wish to accompany traveling friends and family members to airline gates, which are beyond airports' security checkpoints. The legislature recognizes that federal law grants states flexibility in establishing programs to authorize these visits.

The purpose of this Act is to require the department of transportation to establish and implement at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport a non-traveler visitor pass program.

Final Thoughts

It's been 23 years since 2001. The events of 9/11 changed people's behavior forever. House Bill 2151 is a step in the right direction, bringing some sense of normalcy to the airport. Security will still be at the airports, but it would allow family members to say goodbye to their family off to college or moving away from the islands.