At Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA), there are three points where families are separated: at the immigration desk, at security, and at baggage claim. The most frequent case is when family members have different types of passports and take themselves and their children to different counters without any instructions. Before one gets to the first checkpoint, you can see a trained agent from the professional Dhaka airport services, Global Airport Assisting Services (GLAAS), to the group. The agent knows which counter is responsible for which passport, stays with the slowest family member, and holds the group together until they exit the aerobridge. This is a consideration of all separation points and what really prevents separation.
The Passport Problem Nobody Prepares For
If a family’s passports have different issuances, the family will be directed to different counters at HSIA upon arrival. The parent with a Bangladeshi passport goes to the national counter. If a child was born overseas, he/she will be taken to the foreign nationals counter. No one pimps either of them. They divide at the queue at the front of the line and catch up back at baggage claim, if they are fortunate.
It is an ongoing issue for NRB families coming back to Bangladesh. Parents got a new Bangladeshi passport years ago. The children were born in the UK, the USA, Australia, or the Gulf and have foreign passports. The family is sent in two directions at the same time by HSIA immigration due to those two documents.
The immigration officer has no power to detain or to promise to bring families together. They check the passports according to the rules required for each passport.
If a foreign minor is traveling without an adult at their counter, he or she is considered an unaccompanied minor at that counter, even if the parents are standing 10 meters away at another counter.
If your family has different passports, designate a specific adult to keep each minor with their own family. Never divide into two queues without knowing where you will be picked up.
Where Departing Families Break Apart Before They Even Reach the Gate
The passengers pass through individual screening lanes at the departure security on the second floor of HSIA’s international terminal, which are equipped with personal trays. There is no family lane. Groups of children and adults line up at the same time; the problem is that multiple people have to take their laptops, shoes, belts, and cabin bags at once, causing disruptions in the line.
A slow-moving senior grandparent in the area of the tray. If the toddler is unable to walk through the scanner frame independently, an adult must carry the child, and the other adult must handle four carry-on bags, two laptops, and a stroller, which must also be collapsed and loaded onto the belt.
The family comes together on the other side of the scanner, but sometimes the bags pass through the belt before the family does.
The worst situation families can come up with trying to remember a stressful HSIA departure is having children across the far side of security without an adult present, even for two minutes.
Why Baggage Claim Scatters Everyone
At HSIA, there’s just one big baggage claim area and several bags moving concurrently. Once families have immigrated, they all walk to the belt, and then each person searches for their bag along the perimeter of the belt. An older relative is sitting on a bench. A child is following a suitcase that is similar to but not the same as his/her own. One adult pushes the trolley in one direction, other adult is on the other side of the belt.
The spread is not visible when it begins, and it becomes noticeable once someone looks up and can’t see the rest of their group.
That moment is different for an 8-year-old separated from his family and for a 75-year-old separated from his family, both in a hall with hundreds of passengers coming off planes.
The answer is not to make families stay together. The answer is to establish a point of coordination in front of the belt. 1 adult at the trolley. One adult on the belt.
A single point will be established for the meeting. In practice, however, families who have not spoken about it beforehand improvise under pressure and scatter.
What Prevents Every One of These Separations
From the aerobridge to the exit there is one point of coordination, a GLAAS Meet and Assist agent assigned to the family prior to their landing. The agent knows which counter each passport is at, stands at the slower counter and monitors the group at all checkpoints.
The agent will attend at immigration with the foreign passport holder, and will make sure that the Bangladeshi passport holder is aware of where he/she should be waiting once they pass the national counter.
When they get to the baggage area, the agent finds the belt, positions himself/herself with the trolley, and tells each member of the family where they are to go.
At the terminal the agent meets the family and handles the security tray procedure and remains with the family until they are in the departure lounge.
The Basic Meet and Assist is available from BDT 500 per person. Book at globalair.com.bd, WhatsApp +880 1976 333 444, or call +880 9647 222 888 at least 24 hours before the flight.
Families are not separated due to the size of the airport. They are separated due to the lack of a point of coordination before touchdown.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for general informational and travel planning purposes only. It does not constitute professional travel, immigration, or security advice. Airport procedures, immigration rules, and service availability at Bangladeshi airports may change; readers should verify current details directly with the airport and service providers before traveling. The mention of Global Airport Assisting Services (GLAAS) or any specific agent is illustrative and does not imply endorsement. The author and publisher disclaim all liability for any travel disruptions, missed flights, or family separation incidents arising from reliance on this content. Always plan meeting points and keep travel documents organized. This article does not guarantee specific service quality or availability.
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