Greeting at American Airline flights – Terminal 2 North

Greetings outside security – Terminal 2 North (American Airlines) greeters are always welcome to greet our Heroes outside security as the arrive at DCA or depart from DCA. Please note these times can be influenced by unexpected travel delays or early arrivals.  Please take this into consideration when planning your trip to DCA. The schedule of arrival times into DCA, and the time the hubs are due back at the airport, are on our scheduling page.

To greet outside security, just show up at the Terminal number listed on the scheduling page. There is no limit to the number of people that can greet outside security! If driving, park in the corresponding terminal parking garage. For arrivals, please plan to arrive at least 15 minutes before the estimated time of arrival. You should also be able to track the flight # on a smartphone app such as Flight Aware of Flight Tracker. For departures, please plan to arrive at least 30 minutes before the scheduled return time to the airport to allow for early arrivals back to the airport.

• If greeting a flight arriving in Terminal 2 North (American Airlines), the Veterans will exit security on the lower level Door 9. This is the best greeting spot outside security along this short corridor.  Greeters can continue outside to wave the Veterans off after they load the buses. See map below.
• If greeting a flight departing in Terminal 2 – North (American Airlines), you can either line up outside on the upper level door 6 where the buses park, or line up inside Door 6 on the upper level as they make their way down the escalators or elevators to TSA. Another option is to line up on level two by the north TSA security checkpoint. See map below.

Greetings inside security – Terminal 2 North (American Airlines)

• American Airlines at DCA typically will provide an unlimited number of non-escort gate passes (“GAP”) for Honor Flight charter arrivals only. Gate passes are not provided for departures or for hubs flying commercial aircraft.
• Gate passes are provided at the sole discretion of the airline, so please keep in mind that the ability to provide gate passes for flights arriving on American Airlines is dependent on the availability of DCA American Airline personnel to process and pass out these gate passes. Honor Flight Network or the DCA Ground Crew has no control over the issuance or distribution of gate passes.
• To request a gate pass for an American Airlines charter arrival, go to our scheduling page and find the corresponding link “Request a gate access pass here” for the flight desired. NOTE: if a link is not visible less than 30 days from the flight date, gate passes are not available for that particular flight.
• Everyone must request a gate pass – even babes in arms. Once a request is made, a detailed email will be sent about 24 hours prior to the flight date from honorflight.gap@gmail.com with parking options and instructions on picking up your gate pass on flight date.
• Keep in mind that by requesting a gate pass, you will need to arrive and be parked at the airport at least 1 hour prior to the flight arrival to pick up your gate pass and clear security. American Airlines reserves the right to close the pick-up location 1 hour prior to the flight arrival, so if you miss this deadline, a gate pass cannot be guaranteed.
• Please note that if there is a day with multiple flights arriving on American Airlines charter, gate passes are only offered in conjunction with the first flight, and must be picked up prior to the arrival of the first flight. If you are unable to make this timeframe, please consider greeting outside security.
• If you do receive and pick up a GAP for an arrival, it is also good for the departure on that same afternoon – so don’t discard it and please come back later that day.
• Any questions, please email honorflight.gap@gmail.com

Terminal 2 North Map (American Airlines)

For arrivals – enter Door #9 on the lower level of Terminal 2.  Veterans will exit security in the area indicated by the escalator / elevator icon and go out Door 8 or 9 to load the buses; which will be in the outside lanes.  Arrival greeting location is indicated by the green square.  This space is rather small and there are no places to sit while you wait.  There are restrooms close by.

For departures – buses will drop off on the upper level Terminal 2 by Doors 5 or 6.    Greeters can greet the buses on the curb (indicated by green box) as they pull up.  The Veterans will take adjacent elevators or escalators down to Level 2 to clear security.  See map of Upper Level greeting location indicated by a green box.

Greeters can take the adjacent escalators or elevators and continue on to Level 2 by the North TSA entrance; or can gather on Level 2 as the initial location to greet the Veterans.  See map below of Terminal 2 North Level 2.  Greeting location indicated by green box.