[Avodah] Shabbath In An Airport

[Liron Kopinsky]

In Areivim the following exchange took place regarding people possibly
needing to spend shabbat in an airport.

RET:
> > What Shabbos emergency?  They are not doing any melacha.  At worse
> > they have to spend the shabbat in the airport.
>


> RJFS:
> If you arrive in a city on Shabbath, you do not have access to the
> city's txum; your txum is 4 amoth around your body.  By stating the
> above, you are apparently pasqening that every airport, together with
> the runways that surround it, is a reshuth hayyaxid, and equivalent to
> 4 amoth for the purposes of this halakha.  That may be the law, but if
> it is, it is not so obvious a law that it is proper to present it
> without any explanation or exposition, as you have done.
>

Rabbi Revah in Los Angeles gave a drasha one shabbat about this. Of course,
I can't remember all the details, but here is some of what he said:
There is a difference of opinion whether your techum is set by your position
over land when Shabbat enters, or where your plane lands. According to the
first opinion, he said you are stuck in the airport, but that the airport is
considered a reshut hayachid and you could go anywhere in it (at least in
the current terminal). I do not remember if he discussed what you would do
if exiting the plane involved going on the taxiway.

According to the second opinion, you would have access to the local techum,
assuming the airport is in the city (like it is in LA, but is not in
Denver).

The bigger issue is what do you do with your carry-on luggage which contains
your laptop/wallet. I think he said you can directly ask a goy to carry it
for you and put it in a safe place, but I'm not sure.
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