Is it possible to leave the airside area if you decide not to fly?

Fred Swanson

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Shamrocks320

You could go back but you will have to go through the screening process to get back in. It happened to me once . I got up the steps of Ryanair plane, got a call, had to leave, someone escorted me through the baggage place. I didn't walk out the way I came in if that makes since. Airport management would have a procedure in place. It does happen.

_dof_

Fred Swanson wrote: »

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Yep, happened to me once, I unintentionally had a pretty expensive Swiss Army knife in my hand luggage, which they obviously spotted on the Xray.

So rather than letting them bin it I asked if I could drop it back to the car, luckily I was parked in the short term and I had enough time.

They said fine and stamped something or put a sticker (can't remember which) on my boarding pass to say I had been through security already and escorted by back to landside.

Next time through boarding pass check when the computer tells the person checking the boarding pass that it's already been through, the sticker or stamp lets them know that it's okay I assume. I went though again soon afterwards and nothing was said.

Strumms

Flying from NCE to DUB last year...I received a txt from EI confirming the cancellation about 20 mins before boarding was due to commence so we wanted to be the first out of there and back in the city to look for accommodation. However when we went to pass though the security area and explained what had happened and despite showing them the txt they wouldn't let us as the flight although cancelled by EI was still showing as due to depart on FIDS and in their system, they were very nice about it and made a couple of calls and eventually let us back airside after about 20 mins.

I guess for security reasons you have to demonstrate the reason why you need to leave the airport, I know in DUB when you get airside there is no way back to the baggage hall and to exit so you would need to have a chat with the ASUs I think or the AP. ?

Yuri Checkov

Go down to the 200 gates, go through the trap doors. Once through those the only exit is via the immigration/baggage area. No need to ask anyone to leave.

Deagol

Not letting you back out would be illegal. Holding someone against their will can only be done by Gardai not by airport security as far as I understand it. Saying that, they would be quite within their rights to refuse you re-entry through security if they so desired.

sparrowcar

^^^ this (what Yuri said)
No reason or need to speak with anyone unless immigration decide randomly to have a word.

Greenmachine

Maybe things have changed since I last need to leave airside. Way back in 2000, I had a flight that was eventually delayed by 36 hours. The airline kept extending it a few hours at a time. It was me first time flying.

We ended up so bored we were walking in and out of airside. Eventually on the first night, the departure lounge closed and we just walked back out the way we came. I believe we even had to collect our checked bags and take them home with us. Flight was at that point scheduled for another 5 hours later and suffered a number of further delays.

Marcusm

Fred Swanson wrote: »

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Lots of people check in, clear security and don't get on the plane at most airports everday. Prior to segregation in Dublin, you'd just follow your way through passport control and through the baggage hall. In Heathrow at T5, they send you to a special desk from which they escort non travelling passengers every 15 minutes, ie there are so many that it is not operated on an ad hoc basis.

smurfjed

In certain parts of the world, if you board the aircraft then decide to get off, you can be held in the airport until the aircraft lands at its destination

L1011

smurfjed wrote: »

In certain parts of the world, if you board the aircraft then decide to get off, you can be held in the airport until the aircraft lands at its destination

Certain logic to that but its very much security theatre these days.

uneek

Sounds like you are trying to organise a good Friday session without having to travel or am I to much of a cynic

L1011

uneek wrote: »

Sounds like you are trying to organise a good Friday session without having to travel or am I to much of a cynic

Someone on Bargain Alerts bought (and checked in but dumped) a 9.99 one-way to the UK on Ryanair to get a Dixons Travel deal once, so there are some other options!

aaabbbb

[quote=L10119.99 one-way to the UK on Ryanair[/quote]

I've always wondered if many people did this just to go shopping in the duty free for the day ?

Would it be possible, or would they figure out what you're up to ?

L1011

aaabbbb wrote: »

I've always wondered if many people did this just to go shopping in the duty free for the day ?

Would it be possible, or would they figure out what you're up to ?

Considering there's no actual duty lost if you're going to England/Wales/Scotland or the bulk of the EU I doubt they'd care.

However, one-way tickets to Jersey are cheap enough and the Canaries not too expensive off-season...

I would imagine if it became a regular thing the airline at the very least would get wise to it - you are delaying them by having cleared security but not turning up.

The other issue is, of course, that you are passing Customs on the way back out!

Fred Swanson

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2 stroke

Not sure if it was frankfurt or cdg, but a child belonging to our group wandered back through security unnoticed. Her parents had just noticed her missing and she was just going out of sight when I noticed her. I ran back through the scanners despite efforts to restrain me, grabbed the child and walked back through security without being checked a second time.

Terrontress

I was once on a Flybe flight from BHD. A passenger had a fear of flying and, having got on the plane, decided they couldn't go through with it. The flight crew got everyone of the aircraft and did a security sweep before letting everyone back on. Unfortunately modern terrorists don't seem to care if they are on an aircraft which they bring down

ZENER

It's slightly more difficult if you have luggage in the hold of the aircraft. Luggage can't continue without its owner. If you decide not to fly it has to be removed so the plane would be delayed and possibly miss its slot. It's a major security issue.

Ken

Jawgap

It happened to me when in the States and what started as a simple requested quickly descended into a bit of a saga.

TSA interviewed me for nearly an hour! Then I had to wait another 90 minutes or so to get my bag back.

fits

Happened to me in Dublin. Two flights to Manchester at 6.30 am and I went to wrong gate in my morning stupor. Got to right gate at 6.18 and the Aer Lingus ground staff wouldn't let me on and just walked away leaving me there. It took me about twenty minutes to figure out how to get out of airside. Missed three flights altogether that day.

LXFlyer

Fred Swanson wrote: »

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No - they just validate the boarding pass for the DAA as far as I know.

billie1b

DAA also use them for keeping records of the number of people travelling to which country/airport for their stats, they then compare them to the airlines loadsheet amount to get the amount of people who disn't travel after passing security.

AGC

Fred Swanson wrote: »

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When you have a barcode you have checked in, be it at home or at the airport so the airline would be expecting you.

Had a very long delay in Cardiff a few months ago, access in and out of security was quite straight forward. Boarding pass was stamped and just went to a designated security desk every time I wanted to pass through.

kelso00

I missed an international connecting flight in MIA, after rebooking at airline desk next to the gate I just walked out of the airport. No question asked.