Joseph,
Just to re-iterate that being somewhat physically proximate to “a women’s pinky” is not the primary source of tumah, but the looking and thinking… which can occur from a distance, as alluded to in the passage you quoted from the Shulchan Aruk
משם חפר אכל למרחוק עיניו יביטו
איוב לט: כט
…בעיניו יקחנו
איוב מ:כו
The other point being that we are in Galut, and as someone not living in the U.S.A. I would make the point that it is a major mistake for people to treat it as some sort of Aretz haSheni. Being too comfortable and expecting halachic conformity with secular society and visa versa is a major danger and mistake which I equate the generally comfortable conditions experienced there as a major point of stumbling.
There are not separate paths to tread on there for men and women as once was found in Jerusalem and the State of Israel too is largely secular.
The phenomenon of immodestly dressed women can be a challenge but also a unique opportunity to serve Hashem by not looking at them. As I said, if you have already made it through the city and the Terminal without seeing anything inappropriate, then it should be relatively easy to sit quietly by a window reading a book.
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