Sorry Judge.....
A passenger already has a reservation, and 90% of the time is already checked in when they come to the ticket counter. All I have to do is check their ID, add their bags and send them on their way.
A person wanting a gate pass has to have their ID checked, a reservation made, check in as if they were a passenger to check against security list, removed after being checked in, and hand write out a gate pass.
If you want to talk about the 10% of passengers who come to the ticket counter without a boarding pass, have fees that need to be added, or any other "extras", yeah you are right, they would take longer than a gate pass., but that is only a small % of the flight.
