The sign meant business: STOP, EXIT ONLY, DO NOT ENTER. Standing in front of it was Simon Adelman, a walking, talking sign of the times.
In one hand, he held a cell phone to his ear. In the other, hidden behind his back, was a gorgeous bouquet of red roses.
Adelman was at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Friday awaiting the arrival of his girlfriend on a flight from San Jose, Calif.
A young British man employed by Microsoft, Adelman works in California. Lately he’s had business in Seattle. Gazing toward Sea-Tac’s "C" gates, he clearly couldn’t wait to exchange flowers for a hug and a kiss.
In the world we used to know, his face would have been the first one spotted by his sweetheart as she got off the plane. No more. Since Sept. 11, only ticketed passengers are allowed past security checkpoints into gate areas.
We all understand it. With heightened security, it takes long enough to screen travelers.
I’m not complaining, although Adelman glanced from his lookout just long enough to say, in a snappy English accent, "Yes, it’s a pain."
He’s right, it is painful not to be able to see your wife, parent or child get directly on or off an airplane. Last-minute goodbyes and first-sight embraces are cherished rites of travel. Now they’re gone.
In August, I wheeled my son’s stroller up to a Sea-Tac window. He was close enough to see the pilot as his sister’s plane from Scotland via San Francisco approached. Little boys love airplanes.
Friday night, I rolled his stroller close to the "do not enter" sign. Just like in August, my tired daughter eventually appeared. But my little boy didn’t get to see a jet.
| Smart travel
Source: the Port of Seattle
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"I’m here to meet my son, and I didn’t know about this," said Amber Tremaine, who had driven with her husband and children from Rainier, Ore., near Longview, to pick up their teen-ager. "I understand it’s for a good cause, but it’s hard," she added.
Their boy was landing at a satellite gate, which requires a shuttle-train ride to the main terminal and baggage. Unsure what to do, Fred Tremaine learned he could present his drivers license and flight information to the airline and get a pass to meet his son.
"For a child, they’ll give you a companion pass to see someone off. When they land, generally an unaccompanied minor will have an (airline) escort to the security gate," said Bob Parker, an airport spokesman.
Parker doesn’t know whether rules keeping unticketed people from gates will be permanent, but he said that’s how airports in many countries operate.
His advice, if you’re unsure about meeting someone who needs help, is to check with your airline. Because of long lines at security, Sea-Tac officials hope the rest of us arrange meetings in baggage claim areas.
"Waiting on the main terminal side of the security checkpoints is often not practical. The lines can be so long there’s literally no place for non-passengers to stand," states the Port of Seattle Web site, www.portseattle.org/seatac.
Meeting in the baggage claim area makes sense, as holiday crowds descend on the airport. It’s not where Adelman chose to be with his roses, though. It’s not the first possible place to see a loved one’s face.
In a year like no other, some things haven’t changed. It was a noisy blur of hugs and greetings as Wilbur Sheffield of Everett met his extended family near the security entrance Friday after a trip to Disneyland.
"We loved it — no lines. It was all fine, except getting frisked," Sheffield said.
Sheffield’s father-in-law, Daryl Smail, grinned as he quipped, "Tell Osama bin Laden we’re going to fly again."
Contact Julie Muhlstein via e-mail at muhlsteinjulie@heraldnet.com, write to her at The Herald, P.O. Box 930, Everett, WA 98206, or call 425-339-3460.
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