The landside is the part of an
airport that serves as the intermediary between the city and the boarding gates: nowadays, the landside can also be defined as the part of the airport open to anyone who wanders in.
Baggage claim carousels and
ticket counters are usually the landside's defining components. Contrast with
airside, the part of the airport that directly deals with the planes.
In some airports (such as Dallas Fort Worth International Airport), the landside and airside are barely separated at all. In others (such as Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport), the landside and airside are in different buildings separated by relatively vast distances.