PodcastGreeting signs banned at Istanbul Airport
The Istanbul Airport's security commission has banned people from welcoming arrival passengers with pickup signs. Those who do not know the person they are waiting for are required to pay a certain fee and wait for their guests at the “meeting lounge.”
Duvar English
The Istanbul Airport's security commission has banned people from welcoming arrival passengers with pickup signs. The decision went into effect on Jan. 1.
In line with the new regulation, those who do not know the person they are waiting for are required to pay a certain fee and wait for their guests at the “meeting lounge” which is an area designated for this service.
Both passengers and those wishing to pick them up will notify the authorities of their names, who will make sure they meet up.
“This way, we are to eliminate the customers' anxieties such as 'Who is to welcome me, where?'” the airport's governor, İsmail Şanlı, has said.
Şanlı also said that the new regulation will curb the unlicensed transportation services. “The meeting lounge will play an important role regarding the issue of preventing unlicensed activities,” he said.
The service of “meeting lounge” will be free of charge until March 31, Şanlı said.